


The Howling Wolf

by totemwolfie



Series: The Howling Series [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Guts, Blow Jobs, Fantasy, Fluff, Gay, Gay Sex, Hand Jobs, Horror, M/M, Monsters, Slow Burn, Smut, Teenagers, Vampires, Violence, Werewolf, Werewolves, full moon madness, gay werewolves, wolf packs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-11 01:47:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 69,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10452243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totemwolfie/pseuds/totemwolfie
Summary: Danger lurks in the forests around Pineview City, and the pack must find a way to deal with the monster that has been unleashed inside one of their own.  But they learn that werewolves may not be the most dangerous thing out there.





	1. Dreams, Nightmares, and Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry sorry for such a long delay. Obviously I've had some very, very extreme creative issues. I'm not going to promise a new chapter soon (hey I hope I'm wrong) but I hope you'll take the time to read. Please enjoy, and keep howling! xoxo

Luke laid in the darkness of his bedroom, the only sound coming from the little air-conditioning unit in the window. He’d been awake for a while now, just lying in the dark and the quiet, scrolling through pictures on his phone. Some he deleted, others he assigned to people in his contact list, and he set a new lock screen. The choice had been difficult. There was a photo of him and Collin on the beach, or he and Grey sharing a kiss at the Pitt Aquarium on their first date; finally there was a group selfie of the entire pack. He chose that one in the end. Everyone was smiling, even Raven.

It was good to be back in this house. He and Collin had returned home for the last week, dealing with family and a short trip to Orlando for a funeral for Mary’s aunt. The women had been in her eighties, had lived a good life, so the atmosphere hadn’t been just too terrible. Luke and Collin had seen cousins and relatives they hadn’t talked to in years, because they rarely left the Pineview City area, and most of Mary and Dan’s families lived in Florida. There had been several trips to Florida when the brothers were kids, but Luke didn’t remember much of them.

It was eight-thirty-in-the-morning. Luke rolled over, pressing his face into his pillow and huffing. He didn’t want to get out of bed, but sooner or later he wouldn’t have a choice. The only downfall to living with the pack was that once they were back Luke was rotated into the cleaning lineup and now had daily chores to do. The house was never spotless, five teenage boys lived there after all, but they did try to keep it livable. Dishes always needed done, so did laundry and outdoor chores, which was what Grey was responsible for today and he had oh-so-graciously volunteered Luke to help.

He did not want to go out and mow the lawn. It was huge. 

On his nightstand was a small flowering cactus in a terracotta pot. Luke set his phone down next to it, and was reaching out to touch the bright red flower on the top when the calendar hanging on the wall caught his attention. The days weren’t marked off, but there was a thick black circle around next week’s full moon.

This was something Luke was not ready for. He was still coping with the fact that he and his wolf were, in essence, separated from each other. Months ago a group of werewolf hunters had kidnapped him and gone Doctor Frankenstein on him: torturing him for fun, trying to see what made a monster. Nightmares plagued Luke: he remembered lying on a cold steel table, with men leaning over him in surgeon’s masks and scrubs, injecting him with strange liquids that burned and cutting into his skin.

Worst was the wolf though. He could feel it burning inside him. Luke had felt the split in their souls, and now there was a monster lose inside him. For two nights he would become an uncontrollable monster and on the third, he would just suffer for it.

While away for a week the pack had contacted a werewolf contractor—Luke had asked if that was under miscellaneous in the Yellow Pages—and built a cage in the basement.

A cage for him, because he was a monster. Luke rolled over, burying his face in his pillow. He still hadn’t gone to the basement to see it yet. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to think that he had to be locked up, while the rest of the pack roamed free as wolves. 

A wave of sickness crawled through him, starting at his spine and ending in his gut. The moon was next week and the monster inside him already seemed to be aware of it. Lately the nightmares had become worse, and he’d been waking up on and off at odd hours, trembling and shivering, sometimes going to the bathroom across the hall to vomit.

It would only get worse, too. Even if this was only his second full moon, Luke already knew that things were going to get worse. The wolf was hungry, it was angry, it wanted out of its human prison. Luke just hoped a cage in the basement was enough.

A knock at his door startled him and he sat up, pushing the blankets down. “Yeah?”

The door opened and Grey peered in curiously. Luke waved him in and Grey slipped into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He was in just his boxers and had his hair pulled back out of his face. “I was hoping you were awake,” he whispered.

Luke smiled. Grey was darky tanned from his time in the summer sun as he worked roofing houses and laying flooring and shingles and painting siding. He had toned up a lot over the summer, too. Luke’s eyes grazed over Grey’s abdomen and chest, to his biceps and finally his face. The other teen smirked and walked toward the bed.

Nightmares and fears momentarily forgotten, Luke made way for Grey in the bed. Luke laughed softly as Grey cuddled against him, kissing at his neck and cheek. His breath smelled minty fresh and Luke wished he had popped a breath mint, he was sure his own breath was horrible. 

“Mm, you’re so delicious,” Grey murmured as he leaned up on his arms, looking down at Luke with a bright grin. When he looked down at Luke, lying beneath him like this with his hair tousled and his eyes locked on him, he was instantly aroused. He rubbed his boxers against Luke’s and was satisfied to know that Luke felt the same way.

Luke closed his eyes, a rosy blush across his cheeks and nose. “Nn, stop rubbing on me like that,” he gasped with a bit of strain in his voice. 

Grey rolled off him and smiled, looking at Luke with a mischievous gleam in his bright blue eyes. He wanted to touch and rub against Luke until they were both hot and sticky, but they had yet to venture past very heavy making out. 

“How did you sleep last night?”

Luke shrugged as he rolled onto his side. Grey mimicked him so they were facing each other. “It’s getting harder to sleep. I was up a few times last night.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep with me at night?” Grey asked as he reached out, tucking a lock of Luke’s golden hair behind his ear. “Maybe I can help.”

“I’ll just keep you up,” he said, “no one else needs to lose sleep.”

“Well, you know my bed is always open to you.”

Luke laughed. “That’s good to know. Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“You refer to the werewolf…as a monster sometimes. Can I ask why?”

Something flickered in Grey’s blue eyes. Almost always bright and energetic, a shadow passed by them now. He rolled onto his back. “I did some things in the past, things that made me a monster,” he murmured as he tried to steal his voice. Grey didn’t like talking about his past, he didn’t like opening up. He shrugged. “I am a monster.”

“I’m a monster, too,” Luke contended. He had tried more than once to talk to Grey about his past, but Grey always brushed him off or explained things in a way that explained nothing. The other three in the pack were very private about their pasts, which Luke knew he should respect, but the need to know was always there.

“You aren’t a monster, Luke,” Grey argued.

“Yes I am,” he debated back, “A wolf comes out of me and tries to kill things.”

Grey frowned. He rolled over and captured Luke in his arms, pulling him close. “It is way too early in the morning for this kind of crappy talk,” he said as he buried his face in Luke’s neck. He kissed the flesh there and bit softly.

“Ouch,” Luke gasped as he pulled away. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Grey went in for another bite, this one on Luke’s shoulder. The little nip didn’t draw blood, or even leave any indents of teeth; this bite even made Luke laugh. “I like biting you.”

“You’re such a weirdo,” Luke gasped as he giggled. Grey’s teeth skimmed across his collarbone and to the other side of his neck. Luke tilted his head back as Grey’s lips kissed up to his ear. He nipped again.

The biting churned up Grey’s wolf, causing a swirl of emotions inside him. For years he hated the monster inside him. For years he had used it for its power and strength; to fight and seduce and become a wolf to run. Once he’d told Luke that he didn’t feel connected to his wolf like Collin and Raven, even the alpha Fox, but lately, the connection had been changing for him. Because for once Grey didn’t feel scared when the wolf lurked around inside him when he was in his skin; the wolf was as attached to Luke as he was, maybe a little more.

And the wolf liked it when he nipped at the soft flesh on Luke’s neck.

He rolled off Luke and stretched his arms above his head, arching his back. Luke was sitting up so Grey grabbed him, pulling the boy across his chest. Luke laughed, sitting up and straddling him.

Oh, this was indeed a dangerous potion. Grey’s eyes gleamed wickedly.

“Stop that,” Luke said as he recognized the look in Grey’s eyes. 

Grey ran his hands up Luke’s bare legs. “I love your legs.”

“So you’ve said,” Luke said as he blushed. Grey’s hands were rough from hard work. The texture was pleasing against his own skin. He pushed Grey’s hands away. “How was your show? Or…is it gig? Whatever. How did it go last night?”

Grey shrugged. He slid his hands up Luke’s legs again, watching him blush. “It was fun and loud and all the usual stuff.” The four of them had formed a simple band that occasionally played at Moonbeam, a scruffy little all-ages club in Pineview City. They didn’t get paid a lot, and it’s not like the group wanted to release albums or get famous. They all just happened to like music, and Fox loved to sing and he could write amazing music when he put his mind to it. “Collin was there past three I think, covering for another band. Their guitarist was sick or drunk or something. You should have come along.”

Luke had thought about it, but he seemed to have such bad luck everywhere he went. Instead he had stayed late at work, picking up some extra time, and asked a coworker to drop him off at the pack house. Or rather, at the lane leading up to the pack house. He’d walked from there, and while it was a long walk, he had liked it. As beautiful as the beaches in Orlando were, there was nothing like the wilds of home.

“I needed the extra money, since I blew most of it on the AC.”

Grey chuckled. “I could be your sugar daddy?”

Luke laughed loudly. “You have less money than I do!”

“You could be _my_ sugar daddy.”

Luke shook his head, running his hands down Grey’s shoulders and over his bare chest. The blue-eyed boy watched him with interest. “Do we really have to go outside today?”

“Why the hell would we even leave the bed?”

Luke snorted a laugh and shook his head. _He’s impossible to resist sometimes!_ “To mow the yard?”

“What? Oh shit right—“ Grey groaned as he pushed his hands through his monochrome mess of hair; mostly black with streaks of grey and white, with a fading tint of blue from a disastrous attempt to put in blue highlights from a cheap store brand hair color. “You’re helping me, right?”

Luke’s shoulders slumped. “Man…”

…

Later that afternoon, after an exhausting morning of outside chores, Luke had taken a shower to cool off and sat down on his bed. He’d meant to just lounge and go through his list of classes and make sure he had the supplies needed for when school started, when nostalgia hit him and he found himself thinking of when he was in fifth grade.

School had always been difficult for him. He’d been shy and quiet, not outgoing like his brother always had been. In fact he was so quiet and shy that Dan and Mary were sure he must have been autistic, while they were constantly battling with Collin over his ADHD. But Luke knew he didn’t have this problem, he just didn’t like to be around people.

One day he came home from school in tears and rushed straight for his bedroom. He’d been picked on again that day by the older boys because a group of girls had sat with him at lunch and played with him at recess. Luke hadn’t wanted the girls around, but they thought he was cute and liked that he was shy and quiet. So the older boys had started calling him names, to the point that Luke had gotten upset, which had fueled the fire. Finally, he’d snapped and pushed one of the boys down. The others in the group had then pushed Luke down and punched him in the nose.

He had been lying in bed, crying when he heard the door open and Collin had flopped onto bed with him, handing him a box of tissues for his bloody nose.

“What happened to your nose?” Collin asked.

“I got into a fight with someone,” Luke whimpered, sitting up and holding the tissue to his nose. He quickly wiped the tears from his face and looked at his brother. At this time they didn’t look very different. They both were tan from playing outside in the sun, and had bright blond hair. Being the younger sibling Luke was shorter and smaller, but Collin had never been very bulky, more tall and thin. His brain was always going a mile a minute; he could never focus on one subject for long. This caused him a lot of problems, but it also made him a wonderful artist. When he could focus long enough. 

“Did you hit them back?” Collin asked as he sat up and next to Luke, bumping his shoulder against his little brother’s.

“No, I pushed David down and the other guys hit my nose,” he mumbled.

Collin gave him a hug. “You shouldn’t let people do that. Hit them back!”

“But they were bigger than me! And I…I couldn’t…”

“Then next time tell them that if they do anything to you, that I’ll beat them up. And I will, Luke, I promise,” Collin said somewhat forcefully. “I’ll kick their asses.”

Collin had always been like that before he changed. He’d always been there for Luke, always watching over his little brother. But then he had gone into a depression, and he stopped sleeping and started fighting with Dan and Mary and after a couple more years it all boiled over to Dan breaking down the bathroom door and finding Collin inside, on the floor, bleeding to death.

Collin had tried to go to Dan and Mary with his problems, but their answer had been ignorance and the threat of medication. They didn’t know that Collin was going through changes no normal person went through; they didn’t know that he was a werewolf. But they also didn’t try to help him through his depression either. They didn’t try to support him. The final push for Collin had been his first Change. Without a pack there to help him he’d gone through the terrible pain alone and completely lost control of himself as a wolf and hunted. He knew he had killed a human and half the dogs in the neighborhood and had woken up covered in blood and naked, lying in their backyard.

Luke hadn’t seen much of Collin’s suicide attempt; he’d just heard Dan yelling and Mary crying. He’d rushed down to the bathroom, only catching a glimpse of all the blood and Dan doing CPR. Then Mary had pulled him away as she called the ambulance and Luke was left not understanding what was going on and scared out of his mind.

It turned out that the suicide attempt had been a turning point for Dan and Mary as well. Luke always remembered liking them all right, but that suicide attempt had made them change. Instead of being more concerned and supportive of them, they had become suspicious and paranoid and Dan had started to drink more. Mary hadn’t wanted Luke to see Collin in the hospital, but Luke was good at sneaking away and he stole money from Dan’s wallet to take the bus into the city.

He remembered walking into the hospital room and holding his breath. Collin had been strapped down to the bed because he’d tried to rip his stitches out. IVs snaked from his veins and a heart monitor beeped next to the bed. He almost didn’t look like Collin, so pale and washed out as he lay there asleep.

Luke had crawled up onto the bed and sat there, staring at his brother for a long time. When Collin had finally waked he was asking for people that Luke didn’t know.

“No, it’s me,” Luke had murmured, feeling a strange disappointment.

“Luke…” Collin gasped, blood shot eyes locked on his brother. “How did you find me?”

“I took the bus,” Luke said. “I had to see you. Are you okay? What happened?”

Collin didn’t answer at first. “Can you get me some water?” he asked. He wiggled against the straps, but they were cuffed to the bed rails and he couldn’t get away.

Luke found some disposable cups in the bathroom and filled one with water. After helping Collin drink he settled down at his brother’s side. “Why did you do it?” Luke asked again, needing to know why his brother would try and leave him behind. “Dan and Mary won’t tell me anything. Just that you’re…like, bipolar or something.”

Collin almost smiled, but there was no humor in his face. “Bipolar, huh? I guess I…I don’t know why I did it, Luke. I just was scared and confused and…I guess I lost control of myself. I’m sorry, Luke. I never meant to scare you.”

Luke looked at the straps and tried to pry them lose, but they needed a key. He sighed and whispered, “Are you coming home?”

“I hope so,” Collin said fearfully. He and Luke both jumped when the door was pushed open, but it was just another teenage boy who entered. Collin stared at him for a moment.

Luke learned that this was Fox, Collin’s best friend. Fox was nice enough to him, even brought Luke to the cafeteria and bought him a hamburger and a soda. Collin appeared too really like him, and seemed to really relax when Fox was around. They had spent the next hour together before Dan and Mary showed up and took Luke home.

Collin came home soon after that, though he was closely monitored by Dan and Mary and was forced to see a therapist. But it was Luke who stayed by him the most, like a tick, Collin once said. But Luke wasn’t going to take any chances that his brother would try to leave him again, so he did everything he could to stay with him. Though it didn’t stay that way for long, as soon as Collin started to feel better he started going out again and not coming home at night, and Luke was left behind all over again.

Luke woke with a start, not realizing he’d fallen asleep. He rubbed his eyes and stumbled groggily out of bed and left his bedroom and headed for the kitchen. He rubbed his stomach, which ached with hunger.

Fox was downstairs at the kitchen table when he got there, going through bills and his checkbook. Luke knew that Fox’s parents supplied him with a generous amount of money every month that went to basic bills and living expenses. The rest went into a savings account or his checking account. Luke didn’t know who Fox’s parents were, he had never mustered the courage to ask something so personal, but he just didn’t understand how parents could abandon their child like Fox’s parents had. 

_Why not? Your parents abandoned you,_ a little voice whispered in Luke’s head. He tensed, stumbling and stubbing his toe on the flooring.

“Hey Luke,” Fox greeted him with a soft laugh. “Do you need a ride into town for work?”

“I have today off,” Luke grunted as he rubbed his sore toe. He flexed his foot and went to the refrigerator and pulled open the door. He realized then that the house was quiet, and he looked up. “Where is everyone else?”

“Collin and Grey went to get groceries. As you can see, the fridge is pretty empty.”

Luke nodded. He grabbed an apple and a bottle of iced tea and went to sit by Fox. Dunri and Dashi, Grey’s two Siberian huskies, ran to him with a squeaky toy, which Luke threw into the living room for them to chase. When they brought it back, he threw it again and again.

Fox watched Luke for a while as he threw the toy for the dogs and took turns showering them with love. Luke looked tired, though he was tan from the sun, he was looking a little washed-out and he had bags under his eyes. He quickly finished up balancing the checkbook and closed the folder he stored all his bills and taxes in. 

“How are you feeling?” Fox asked.

The dogs were begging to go outside and Luke stood to let them out. He threw the squeaky toy after them so they could play. He turned back to Fox, who had turned in his chair and was looking at him. 

There was a tingle up his spine when he made eye contact with Fox. Luke might not be connected to his wolf, but he still had some werewolf instincts. He knew Fox was alpha, and he could feel a certain weight on his chest he looked at Fox. Fox wasn’t forcing him into submission, but Luke still felt like he should.

“The nightmares get worse every night,” Luke admitted. “I wake up sick a lot.”

Fox had heard Luke’s bedroom door opening and closing throughout the night. “Are they nightmares of when you were tortured? Or is similar to nightmares you were having before finding out you were a werewolf?”

“They’re tearing me apart,” Luke whispered as he sat down next to Fox. “In the dreams—the nightmares. Every night th-they’re tearing me to pieces, and I see my wolf when he’s pulled from me. The wolf is so angry.”

Fox touched Luke’s shoulder. “Luke…”

“If I was normal, would any of this be happening?” he interrupted.

“No,” Fox said. “You wouldn’t know anything was going to happen until it did.”

“I thought you’d say that,” Luke pouted. “This isn’t fair.”

“We’ll figure something out, Luke. There has to be a way to fix this,” Fox made it sound like a promise, but the words tasted like a lie in his mouth. Nearly a month had passed since Luke’s first Change, and they were no closer to figuring out how to heal him.

Asking around the werewolf community was dangerous and difficult. Raven spoke quite insistently that other werewolves not find out about Luke’s situation. If he was viewed as a feral werewolf, then other werewolf packs might come for him, to kill him. Feral werewolves were extremely rare, but when one showed up, chaos erupted everywhere it went. There hadn’t been an incident involving feral werewolves since the pilgrim days, when entire camps and villages of humans were wiped out. With this came hunters, and following that, the wiping out entire werewolf packs. 

So far the only good idea the pack had was to lock Luke up during the moon cycle.

“And what if there isn’t?” Luke asked. He shrugged off Fox’s hand and sat back.

“That’s why we have the cage in the basement,” Fox said softly. “Have you seen it?”

“I don’t want to,” he whispered as he glanced at the basement door. “I don’t want to think about it.” Luke frowned and scrubbed his fingers over his forehead before he asked, “Do you remember when we first met?”

Fox was startled by the sudden change in subject, but he didn’t argue. “Of course.” How could he possibly forget that night? Just thinking about it made his chest ache.

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot. Thinking about what Collin had gone through when he first Changed and how he tried to kill himself because he was just too much for him.” Luke looked past Fox to the window in the front door. Outside it was bright with sunlight and green grass, stained brown by the lack of rain. Bugs buzzed over flowers and in the hot, heavy air. 

Fox was silent, but his green eyes had grown wide and he paled. After a moment he spoke. “Are you thinking of killing yourself?”

“I don’t…know.” When he said the words, he realized how heavy he felt. How much this was really weighing on him. When he was around Grey, the world melted away and he didn’t need to worry so much about what was going to happen. But without the distractions, he was left feeling raw and exposed, absolutely terrified.

“Your brother isn’t the only one who tried to kill himself after his first Change,” Fox said. This wasn’t something he liked to talk about, but Luke needed to know he wasn’t alone. That they had all gone through horrible things. 

Luke looked at him in surprise. “You did?”

Fox nodded. “I don’t remember much of the attack,” Fox explained, “but after my first full moon I woke up alone and naked, covered in blood, and lying next to the body of a man. I killed a man on my first night as a wolf. I told my parents, because I was younger than you are now and I was scared.”

“What…did they do?”

“My father wanted to kill me,” Fox said roughly. “My mother however, argued against it, and said that they should send me away instead. I thought at first they meant to a relative, or a boarding school, but instead it was…to here. Somewhere far and out of the way, you know? I realize now that she may not have been sentencing me to death, but they did want me to die. So I tried to kill myself. But the werewolf venom in me was too strong, and I only healed.”

Luke swallowed hard, feeling nauseous. “Your parents…Fox, that’s…”

“Depressing? I am aware of that,” Fox answered with a tight smile. “I’m sure I disappointed them a lot by not dying out here in the woods. I guess the joke’s on them.”

Luke stared at him. How did Fox remain this strong after all he’d been through? He looked at the alpha closely, from his wild, brown hair that was never tamed, his bright green eyes, and the freckles that covered his nose and his cheeks. Inside him was a monster, like all of them, but Luke had seen Fox as a wolf up close. He’d been around him as a werewolf. Fox would never hurt him, however the monster inside himself…

“Are we done with the death talk?” Fox asked, interrupting Luke’s spiraling thoughts. “It’s really depressing and I’m already feeling that way because school is starting soon.”

Luke smiled. “Yeah.” He rubbed his head, which was starting to hurt. “I might go take a nap or something. But…thanks for listening, I guess?”

“Luke,” Fox said as they both stood, “I care about you, okay? You’re like my little brother. You’re my packmate. And everyone else cares about you, too. Please remember that, even though this is going to be hard as fuck until we figure things out, that we’re all here for you. All of us. Can you promise me that you won’t forget that?”

Luke’s lower lip trembled. Emotions stirred up inside him. “I promise.”

“Do you want some company? I’m feeling pretty shot, too.”

Luke nodded shakily. “Oh, sure, that’s fine.”

Fox walked with Luke back to his bedroom and pulled the curtains, making sure it was dark. Luke seemed a little uneasy, but Fox only sat down on the bed with his back to the headboard and pulled out his phone. Luke lay down on the other side of the bed, pulling his favorite pillow close, and closed his eyes.

Fox listened as Luke’s breathing evened out quickly. Fox had hoped that by being near Luke it would help him calm down and relax. As alpha he carried a certain aura around him; sometimes it pushed lower-ranking wolves into submission, and other times it worked to relax packmates and reassure them that they were safe and protected.

He was feeling shaken after talking with Luke. Fox reached down, brushing a lock of Luke’s blond hair behind his ear. The boy didn’t stir from his sleep. 

It was less than thirty minutes later when the bedroom door opened and Collin stepped into the room. He tilted his head, frowning curiously.

“Is he okay?” Collin whispered as he glanced to the bed.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He just wanted to take a nap and offered to keep him company.” Fox stood slowly so he wouldn’t wake Luke and went to Collin. He had decided not to tell Collin about Luke’s suicidal ideations; if Luke felt that Fox had betrayed his trust, then he might never come to him again with a problem, and Fox _needed_ Luke’s trust. 

Collin opened his mouth to speak when the bedroom door flew open behind him and hit him hard enough to knock him into Fox and send them both stumbling. A sheepish Grey peered in with wide, apologetic eyes. “Shit, sorry guys!” he whispered loudly.

“I’d say so, damn,” Collin grumbled as he straightened up. Somehow Luke hadn’t woken up, so he took Fox’s hand and tugged. 

Grey smiled apologetically as the two walked by him before turning to Luke’s bedroom. He was sleeping quietly, and Grey didn’t want to wake him, so he closed the door and headed down the hall and to the stairway. 

To his surprise Raven was home and sitting at the kitchen table with an open book. Grey sat down next to him, earning him a quick glare, before he started drumming his fingers on the table.

“Stop that,” Raven grunted. A heavy scent still hovered around Raven, telling Grey that he had recently Changed from fur to flesh. His long, straight black hair was hanging lose down his back and he was wearing jean shorts and a blue t-shirt that smelled like laundry detergent, making Grey wonder if Raven had pulled it straight from the dryer when he came into the house. Actually, on second glance Grey realized it was his shirt. Raven was taller than him, but less bulky, so the shirt fit him loosely. Grey grinned.

“Sorry,” he apologized even though he wasn’t. “Luke is upstairs sleeping.”

“Good for him.”

“Have you asked your family pack for any ideas of what can help him?”

Raven’s mouth twisted into a frown. “Grey, I can’t just ask them what to do with a feral wolf, you know that, right? There are members of my pack who still remember torch-baring mobs and witch trials. If they suspect there is a feral werewolf, they’ll come for him.”

“But it’s not his fault—“ Grey snapped as his mouth went dry. Fear prickled its way up his spine and he shook his head. “Raven, he’s not feral, he’s just...broken.”

“I know that, Grey,” Raven said with a bit of gentleness. “We all know that, but outsiders won’t know that, or believe it. However I do have a few ideas of ways to help Luke, but before I say anything I need to do some more research.”

“What are you thinking?”

“What did I just say?”

“I want to know.”

“You’ll have to wait.”

“I bet you don’t have any ideas and you’re just saying that.”

“Grey, stop acting like a child.”

…

That night, after supper and chores, Grey and Luke took the dogs out for a long walk. The two Siberian huskies ran ahead of them through the trees, stirring up rabbits and squirrels. Whenever they ran off too far Grey would cup his hands and howl, and the two dogs would lope back, tongues hanging from their months and curled tails wagging.  
“They’re so funny,” Luke commented as they reached the Ridge. He and Grey were sitting on the cold stone while the dogs fought over a stick.

“I was hoping they’d slow down when they became adults but obviously that isn’t happening,” he laughed. He glanced at Luke, whose attention had been caught by the vast expansion of open air where the Ridge ended in a straight down drop and the forest seemed to melt around them. Far down below was an open valley with scattered trees and Geode Lake with its rocky beaches and a swarm of honking geese. Beyond the valley the forest rose up again into heavy hills, and far beyond the mountains, however they were currently cloaked in shadow and heavily building storm clouds.

“Wow, that is awesome,” Luke murmured as the wind cooled off and thunder echoed through the valley. The clouds were rising higher in the sky until they looked like battling giants. Luke pulled his knees to his chest, watching as the clouds changed colors with the setting sun, until they were churning their own dark colors. Lightening flickered and thunder rocked the valley. “This seems like a good place to get struck.”

“It’s actually pretty far away,” Grey said as he leaned back on his elbows. 

“Hm.” Luke shifted, leaning back on his elbows to mimic Grey. He turned his head to Grey, who was obviously waiting for this, because he leaned over to kiss him.

A wet nose pushed its way between them and suddenly the dogs were there, making Grey fall back with a scoff and making Luke laugh. He hugged Dunri, dragging the dog into his lap. 

“You guys, this is not the time for your shenanigans!” Grey scolded. 

“Here, here!” Luke called the attention of the dogs when he grabbed the stick they had been chewing on. He waved it around before turning and throwing it into the forest. The dogs sprinted after it.

Grey laughed. “Come here, before they get back,” he said as he pulled Luke into his lap. Luke straddled him easily, his smaller body fitting against Grey’s, and draped his arms over Grey’s shoulders. They kissed again, this time a bit more insistently.

Lips slid together, tongues tasted, and Grey could feel Luke’s heart beating hard. He licked up the boy’s lips, aching for a taste inside, when Luke whimpered. He pulled away, a dirty remark ready on his lips, when he froze.

Luke was staring at him, but with golden eyes instead of lilac. Grey flinched, heart in his throat, and shoved the boy back nearly off his lap. Luke winced, eyes blinking, and once again they were normal.

“Hey—“ Luke gasped as he slid back out of Grey’s lap and onto the stone ground. He could hear claws clipping on the rock behind him and knew the dogs were back. “Why did you stop? That was nice.”

Grey swallowed hard, not sure if Luke would want to hear what he had to say. Instead he turned to the storm and said, “I think the storm is getting a little too close for comfort. Let’s get the dogs and go home, okay?”

Luke frowned as Grey stood and clapped his hands so they dogs ran to his side. He didn’t buy that Grey was suddenly worried around the storm. He looked way too shaken and a thunderstorm just wouldn’t cause that. He touched his lips, wondering if it was something he’d done. Did he kiss him wrong? 

A hand appeared in front of him and Grey smiled down. There was still something lurking in his blue eyes, but he was looking more like himself. “I’m not carrying you all the way home.”

Luke smiled and took the other boy’s hand and was pulled to his feet. “A good boyfriend would.”

“Hey, I never said I was good at this,” Grey chirped with a grin. “I’m just good at stuff.”

“At stuff, huh?”

“Oh yeah, all the dirty stuff.”

“You’re insufferable.”


	2. Soft Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been two months and this is all I got for you. I'm really sorry it took so long (even more sorry that this chapter is so short and kind of...) This book has just been giving me all kinds of problems. It has all kinds of unnecessary angst and story-lines that I've been removing which means a lot of rewriting. Anyway! Thanks for reading as always xoxo

Grey woke early the next morning. He was alone in the bed, as he knew he would be. Sometime around two that morning he had waked when Luke was in the grip of a nightmare; thrashing around and whimpering in his sleep. Grey had curled close to him, pulling Luke into his arms to calm him. Only when Luke woke, he left the bed and retreated back to his bedroom to suffer through his nightmares alone. 

He hadn’t liked letting Luke go, but he wasn’t going to force Luke to stay in the bed with him. After tossing and turning for about twenty minutes Grey finally fell back to sleep, however it was fitful. After waking twice he invited Dunri and Dashi up onto the bed, and the two dogs curled up on the mattress. With the dogs there the bad dreams went away.

However the downfall to sharing a bed with the dogs was that at seven in-the-morning they were awake and rolling around on the bed and licking at his face. Grey tried to hide under the blankets but the dogs just whined and tried to dig through the blankets.

“Okay! Okay,” he grunted as he sat up and threw the blankets off. The dogs barked and ran for the door, which Grey stood so he could open, and then followed the two through the house to the back door so he could let them out into the fenced in yard.

Grey closed the door behind him and turned around, pushing his hands through his tangled, messy hair. Raven was the only other pack member awake, and was crossing into the kitchen. He had a couple books under his arm.

“School hasn’t started yet, Raven,” Grey said as he went to the kitchen cupboards and started opening them. 

“I’m aware of that,” Raven answered as he set the books down. He maneuvered around Grey to access his tea kettle and the cupboard where he kept all his tea and Fox his coffee.

“People who read for fun weird me out.”

“You read for fun,” Raven pointed out, sounding somewhat exasperated. Already.

“Hm,” Grey turned to the refrigerator. “I’m making French toast. Wants some?”

“Sure.” Grey was a lot of things, but one thing Raven could appreciate was his cooking skills. He set the tea kettle, now filled with water, on the stove to warm it and returned to his books. Both were older volumes he had borrowed from the library, and had many bookmarks between pages. He opened the first book to the first bookmark.

“Something weird happened last night,” Grey said as he started to prepare enough French toast for the pack. He grabbed a couple pounds of bacon from the refrigerator to make also. 

Raven didn’t inquire, but Grey continued to talk.

“Luke and I were at the Ridge, and we were making out, real nice ya know, kind of hot and kind of heavy—“

“Grey—“

“And when I stopped to look at him, his eyes were gold.”

Raven closed the book, his attention now on the boy across the kitchen. “Gold?”

“I pushed him away, because it fucking scared me, but then they were back to their normal color.” He paused as he dipped bread in batter. “Why would that happen?”

“You weren’t imagining it?”

“No! Of course not,” Grey snapped.

“Was Luke aware this happened?” Raven asked.

Grey had several pieces of toast on the griddle. “No. I…didn’t want to tell him either,” Grey murmured as he shrugged. “I thought it would freak him out. I know the Moon is in a few days, so many—but—fuck, _this_ shouldn’t be happening be him.”

“I suppose Luke’s new disability does put a damper on your relationship.”

Grey turned to the other boy, his blue eyes wide in surprise. “What the fuck?”

Raven stared back at him, his dark eyes void of emotion. “You heard me.”

“You know what, every time I think you’ve grown as a person you just revert back into being a dick,” Grey growled. He turned his back on the other boy. “You don’t get any French toast.”

“That breaks my heart.”

“Suck a dick.”

Raven huffed through his nose. The tea kettle started to squeal and Raven stood. To reach it he had to get around Grey, who stubbornly refused to move. In their wolf fur Raven could easily shove Grey aside, who was the omega, and by pack law had to submit to his packmates. As a teenager boy though, Grey was not so easy to move. Grey may be shorter but he was stronger, and Raven didn’t think in a fist-fight that he could take Grey on.

“Just so you know,” Grey said as he stubbornly refused to move, “it doesn’t damper our fucking relationship. I l-care about him, a lot. Maybe you need to get out into the world and find something to care about, because you as a person, kind of suck.”

Raven wrinkled his nose and resisted rolling his eyes. Tea kettle acquired he poured water into his mug, picked it and his books up, and headed outside.

…

The smell of cinnamon and bacon woke Luke from a restless, worthless night of sleep. He was feeling nauseous and had the start of migraine, but his stomach was still rumbling for food. He changed out of his pajamas into jeans and a t-shirt, stopped in the bathroom for a couple painkillers, and then headed downstairs to the kitchen.

He could hear voices before he reached the bottom of the stairs and found Grey, Collin and Fox all sitting at the table eating breakfast. There was open seat next to Grey, along with a plate and an empty cup. He smiled.

“Morning,” he said tiredly.

“I’d ask how you slept, but I already know,” Collin said as he stood to refill his orange juice. “How are you this morning?”

“Kind of sore.” He picked up his empty plate and went to the source of the wonderful smell, a giant platter on the counter in the kitchen with French toast and bacon. He filled his plate and went back to the table. Collin had filled his cup with orange juice.

Grey leaned in to kiss his cheek after he’d sat down. “Morning, darling.”

Luke’s cheeks heated and he turned to his boyfriend. “Hi.”

The French toast was delicious, as Luke knew it would be. Grey was a wonderful cook, and even though they took turns preparing meals and doing house chores, the food always tasted better when Grey was the one making it.

“Don’t you work today?” Collin asked as he stood to rinse off his dishes. There was a calendar on the refrigerator and he saw there Luke had penned in his work days and times.

“Shit, I forgot,” Luke muttered around a mouthful of food. 

“Call in sick,” Grey encouraged.

“No, I’ll be fine once I’m there,” he insisted. It was important that he kept this job. It was his source of spending money, and it was a sense of pride. He had a job. His mother was proud of him for having a job, simple as it was. He would go, and he would do a good job, and maybe it would wear him out enough that he could nap when he returned home later that afternoon.

“I can drop you off,” Collin offered, “I need to get some art supplies.”

“Sure, thanks.”

Grey shifted uneasily in his seat before standing. “Hey Fox, can I talk to you outside?”

Fox looked up from his third cup of coffee. “Sure, anything wrong?”

“Of course not,” he lied easily.

…

An hour into work Luke was starting to realize that he should have called in sick and stayed home; because while he had not felt ill at home, he certainly did now. It was an incredibly stressful day, the store was busy, the costumers were crabby and demanding, and they had four other kids call in or just not show up. The air was heated and hot, and constantly going from a cold, air-conditioned store to the sweltering heat outside to bring out groceries was making Luke’s head spin. There were no drinks allowed at the front of the store, so whenever he wanted water he had to slip away to the breakroom in the very back of the store. Two-out-of-three times when he reached the breakroom he was being paged back to the front before he could even take a drink.

The time for his break came and went without him even realizing it, and when he went to his supervisor to request it, he was told he would just have to wait, other people were on break already and it “wasn’t her job to babysit the teenagers.” Luke felt his face flush angrily, but he didn’t lash out like he wanted to, just returned to work.

The front of the store slowed down so he hid in one of the canned good isles, restocking shelves and taking his time to straighten and face the products. Normally this was therapeutic, making everything look clean and perfect, but every time a can dropped over, he flinched, the sound hurting his ears. The hunger in his stomach had turned to sickness and indigestion burned up through his chest and throat. His head started to hurt and he felt hot despite the cold air inside the build.

He was just going to step back to the breakroom for a more water when a costumer caught his attention, demanding a product that was out of stock. Luke did his best to make the costumer happy, but nothing he could do managed that. The woman started to rant and yell, and for a moment Luke’s hearing faded out and—everything went red.

Giving himself a shake Luke offered to find a supervisor, needing someone else to help this lady, because nothing he did or said made her happy. After finding the woman in charge of the front of the store near the frozen foods, he directed her to the ranting customer and excused himself to the bathroom.

Luke felt like he was dragging when he reached the bathroom. There was an enormous weight on his shoulders and his vision was fuzzy. The yellow, sickening florescence lighting did nothing to make him feel better; neither did the nauseating scent that always hovered around the men’s restroom. 

Luke leaned on the sink, leaning down so he could splash water on his face. He pushed his hand through his blond hair and looked up—only to stop. In the mirror behind him was a golden wolf with yellow eyes. The wolf curled its lip back to a snarl at him, eyes growing feverish and moonstruck. Luke gripped the porcelain sink as his legs went rubber and he sagged forward. He closed his eyes as he his heart started to pound to the point that he wondered if he was going to have a heart attack. 

When he next opened his eyes he was alone. Sinking to the floor he leaned back against the wall, head tilted back, as he sucked in each breath, trying to calm down. The wolf hadn’t been real, he knew that, but he’d still seen it. He could almost feel it now, moving around inside him, scratching against his flesh in determination to escape.

Suddenly the door swung open and a man stopped short of Luke, staring down at him. Luke recognized him as the manager of the produce department. “Luke?” the man asked with a worried frown. “You…you look horrible. Maybe you should think about going home.”

Luke had to blink a couple times for the words to sink in; his brain wasn’t quite keeping up with him. He felt hot and sick. “You know what um, yeah I think I will…” He slowly lurched to his feet, not trusting his legs to support him.

“I’ll tell Kelly you’re leaving early,” the man offered, “just head home, okay?”

Luke nodded and shuffled out of the bathroom, leaving the store without another word or punching out. He headed outside into the blazing sun and suffocating heat. There was no shade nearby so he just sat down on the curb.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Grey’s number. “Come on, Grey,” he whined as he bowed his head and pulled his knees close. “Answer…”

But Grey didn’t answer. Neither did Fox or Collin. He was starting to feel sick again and was sweating through his shirt. Pain prickled up through his muscles and he winced when his leg cramped up.

Seeing no other choice, he called Raven. 

“What?” the black wolf snapped. He sure did have a way with words.

“Raven, it’s me,” Luke muttered as he tried to stretch out his leg. “Um, is my brother around? Or Grey? I-I tried calling them but they didn’t answer.”

“No, they went school shopping or something,” Raven said. “What’s wrong?”

“Something is wrong with me,” Luke cried miserably. “Please come get me.”

“I’ll be there in as soon as possible.”

Luke sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket and tried to calm himself down. _It’s just hot out here, that’s all it is,_ he told himself as he continued to sweat.

After what felt like an eternity Raven’s old pick-up truck pulled up to the curb and Luke stumbled to his feet, sliding into the passenger seat. Raven took one look at the sweating, flushed boy and reached to turn on the AC. Normally he preferred the windows down and the sun and wind in his hair, but Luke looked awful.

“Here,” he offered the boy a bottle of water he’d been drinking.

Luke took it and chugged the water down. He thanked Raven and shook his head. “I-I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I thought I was just hot from the sun but…but I guess it’s more than that, huh?”

“You have a fever,” Raven said. He reached over, pressing his palm to Luke’s forehead. The boy was burning up. Raven pursed his lips. “What else is wrong?”

Luke bit his lip. “I saw something in the bathroom.”

“Saw what?” Raven asked as he pulled the truck away from the curb and through the parking lot to the road. 

“A wolf,” Luke said. The cold air coming from the vents was making him shiver, but it was better than sweating. He tugged an old woven blanket from the back of the seat and covered himself. “I saw a gold wolf in a mirror. I know I was just hallucinating but…”

Raven looked at the boy, worry in his eyes. “Let’s just get you home, okay?”

…

It wasn’t every day that something frightened Raven. He’d gone through a lot in his life, even before he had come here with Fox and formed their small Howl pack. He was born a werewolf, and had never been afraid of things that went bump-in-the-night, because he was bigger and badder than anything that could come out of the shadows. But seeing the moonstruck fever in Luke’s eyes, and listening to the shake and fear in his voice, it had shaken Raven. He couldn’t imagine having no control of the wolf inside him.

Once home Luke showered and curled up on the sofa to sleep. Raven didn’t want to leave him alone, so he made himself a cup of soothing tea and sat down in his favorite chair with a book.

The book and the tea distracted him for only a little while. It was a gorgeous, although very hot, day and he wanted to be out in it. He wanted to sink into his wolf skin and run through the trees and swim at the blue pool or Crystal Lake. He wanted to hunt and howl and dig his paws into the dirt.

His fingers twitched and Raven stood, standing over Luke for a second. The boy was sleeping quietly for once, and Raven would certainly hear him if he cried out. So he went out the front door and leaned on the railing, looking out into the yard and woods beyond.

Raven’s family pack had spent almost as much time on four paws as they did two feet. It had taken a lot of time and patience for Raven to adjust to living a somewhat normal human life, or as normal as possible. He was sure the adjustment would have been worse had it not been for Grey and Fox. The two were quite persistent.

He stepped down off the porch and across the yard and down the gravel driveway, his destination the mailbox. It was a very long walk; the driveway turned slightly so the house wasn’t insight when he reached the box. The trees and brush were thick here; heavy ferns grew up under giant, ancient trees and birds sang loudly.

Inside the mailbox were the usual items: magazines, bills, spam mail and a small package for Collin. He tucked the package under his arm and sorted through the envelopes before one caught his attention.

Raven tilted his head as his heart skipped in surprise. He lifted the paper to his nose and sniffed, immediately recognizing the soft she-wolf scent and rose perfume. There was a wax seal on the envelope, a red stamp of a willow tree. He clutched the envelope in his hands as he walked quickly back to the house.

There he found Luke still asleep, so he sat down in his chair.

The letter was from his older sister, Willow. She had recently lost her werewolf husband in an accident. Eric had worked road construction, a job which kept him outside all day and near the forest, which he had liked, when the driver of a semi-truck had fallen asleep at the wheel and ran through the line or orange cones and crashed through the work area, killing two humans and Eric. Willow had been in mourning for two weeks, and now she had gone off on her own, on a sort-of spirit walk. She had left her pack and had only a backpack of clothing and essential items and taken to the woods on both four paws and two feet.

The letter was from a nearby state, with Willow saying that she would be at the pack house soon after the upcoming full moon, and wanted to take shelter for a few days. _“I really miss the luxury of a hot shower that isn’t in a smelly campground surrounded by drunk humans and loud children,”_ the letter read, making Raven smile. 

He had not seen his sister since he came here to live with Fox and the rest of the pack. They had talked through letters, and even skype once or twice, but it just wasn’t the same. He wanted to hug her, run with her in their fur, howl at the moon, and just hear her voice. He lifted the letter to his nose and took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. The wolf inside him stirred with a soft whisper of excitement.

Raven sat back. He would have to tell Fox about their upcoming houseguest, and he would have to set up the computer room as a guest room. He hoped Willow didn’t mind sleeping on an old air mattress they had stored in the closet, but even if she did, Raven supposed he would swap beds.

Luke shifted on the couch, turning over with a soft whimper. Raven stood and sat down near his head and pressed his palm against the boy’s forehead. Seeing that it calmed him, Raven sat back and idly combed his fingers through the boy’s soft, blond hair.

They would have to keep Luke’s problem a secret. He trusted Willow, and he loved her, but this wasn’t something he would burden her with. The letter said she should arrive after the full moon, so hopefully Luke would be back to himself when she arrived. As long as the wolf inside him didn’t try to cause trouble.

Raven turned to look back at the kitchen table where three large books sat. It had become obvious to him that Luke’s wolf was growing more aggressive and determined to escape its human skin, leading Raven to try to work out a way to calm it down. There were modern day tranquilizers of course, but Raven would have preferred to find some kind of natural remedy to calm both the boy and the wolf. There were dozens of different plants and oils that could be used as sedatives. If he could just find the right ingredients, maybe he could make something to help Luke sleep through the night.

And if came down to it, something strong enough to knock out both the boy and the wolf.


	3. Madness Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really hard to write... even harder when my computer froze and I lost most of it and had to re-write it.
> 
> Thanks for reading, as always! xoxo

Luke hadn’t slept in over a day. Every time he closed his eyes the darkness would swallow him and he would be back on the operating table, strapped down and helpless, as he was pumped full of drugs and then forced to suffer through a vivisection. Then, with his skin peeled away and his ribs spread open, with his organs in little labeled jars; the wolf would burst from inside him, tearing him in two, and then devour him.

He lay in his bed, pale and covered in a sick sweat. He was shivering, even though he felt like he was boiling up. His muscles would twitch and his limbs felt heavy, but at the same time he felt wired. Luke had no problem believing there was something inside him trying to claw its way out. 

Luke turned his head as the door opened slowly and Collin stepped in with a fresh ice pack clutched in his hand. The room smelled like Luke’s nervous and fearful sweat. The window was open, but the scent was pungent. There was something deep in the scent too, a wild fury buried.

“Hey,” Collin said softly as he sat down on the bed. Luke stretched out on his back, tangled in the sheets. He didn’t answer. “Is it worse?” Because he knew it wasn’t any fucking better.

“My nose stopped bleeding finally,” Luke muttered with a twisted, humorless smile. He accepted the ice pack and pressed it against his forehead, then his cheek and his neck. It was cold and the shock was comforting. 

Collin pressed his hand against Luke’s forehead. “Jesus.”

“It’s so angry,” he whispered. Luke’s voice was weak and his body felt heavy, like there were weights on his joints preventing him from moving. He twisted onto his side anyway, ignoring the pull in his muscles. “This isn’t like last month.”

Collin nodded once. Last month Luke’s first Change had started without warning, and everything about it had been normal. The entire transformation had been what it should have been, and there had been no indications that something was wrong. Not until the gold wolf had stood up and looked at them with piercing yellow eyes, instead of Luke’s signature lavender. Only then had the pack realized that something was very, very wrong with Luke and his inner wolf.

“The hunters got what they wanted, huh?”

Collin had taken the ice pack from Luke and was running it down his spine. “Hm?”

“They wanted to separate me from my wolf, and they did,” Luke said into the pillow, muffling his voice. He’d rolled onto his stomach; he couldn’t seem to stop moving even though he was in constant pain. Somewhere in a distant part of his brain he could hear a moonsong, but he couldn’t focus on it, couldn’t grasp it. The song wasn’t meant for him. “They won.”

“They-they didn’t win,” Collin said with a hard shake of his head. “No, Luke. You can’t think that way at all.”

“Look at me,” Luke gasped as he forcibly rolled over. “ _Look_ at me!”

Collin sat back. Luke’s eyes were wide and bleeding. His skin was twitching and his skin was slick. The war waging inside his body was something none of them could relate to, not even Raven with all his wisdom. Collin’s chest tightened and he willed himself not to cry. Instead he leaned down, pressing his forehead to his brother’s.

“We’ll fix this. I don’t know how, but we will.”

“Sure.”

“You don’t have to believe me,” Collin said as he lay down next to Luke. He looked into his bloody eyes, but they were still his eyes. Lavender. Fox had told him what Grey had said about Luke’s eyes changing colors without Luke knowing about it. 

The wolf inside Luke was incredibly strong. The white wolf inside Collin told him just as much, that it was strong, that it was angry, and that it was frightened.

“Luke…”

A soft knock at the door interrupted them. Grey stepped in. He had his hair pulled back out of his pale face and his lips were sore and raw from being chewed on. There was no brightness or happiness in his eyes. No wild gleam of mischief or excitement for the Moon.

“I ran a cold bath,” Grey said, “well, a really cold one. Maybe that will help your fever?”

“It can’t hurt,” Luke mumbled. He started to sit up but lost his balance and fell back. His limbs twitched and the blood rushed painfully through his head. When strong arms picked him up, he pressed close to Grey’s chest.

“You feel really light, Luke,” Grey said worriedly.

“I haven’t been eating, remember?”

“Right,” he sighed. “When this is over, I’ll make you whatever you want.”

“Cyanide cocktail?”

“Not funny.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be.”

They walked across the hallway to the second floor bathroom. Grey gently tugged off the boxers Luke had been wearing before kissing him apology. The bathtub was filled with cold water and ice cubes. Luke’s cry of shock was enough that Grey almost pulled him back out.

“N-no!” he gasped as his teeth chattered. “It-it-it feels good.” He sank back into the water, pulling his hands to his chest and pressed his knees together. “S-shit.”

Grey sat down on the edge of the bathtub. He took a bath sponge and, after wetting it, pressed it against Luke’s cheek and forehead. “I wasn’t sure if this would work. I’ve heard people say to take a cold bath when you have a fever, but other people say it’s bullshit.”

“This isn’t a-a normal fev-v-ver,” Luke huffed. He closed his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Full moon madness,” Grey murmured quietly. He continued to pamper Luke the best he could. “Sit up a little, darling, I’m going to give you a massage.”

Luke smiled softly. He shifted in the water until he was sitting up. “How sweet.”

“Well, I am sweet,” Grey agreed with a little smile. “I was nosing around Raven’s room, because I know he’s into that, um, alternative-homeopathic-healing-crystals kind of crap, when he caught me of course, but he had some lavender oil he said I could try using.”

“You’re lucky he didn’t kick your ass,” Luke mumbled. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested heavily on them. The scent of lavender filled the bathroom before Grey’s hands gently started to caress his shoulders and back. “Mmm.”

“Is it helping?” Grey asked hopefully.

“It’s not hurting,” Luke said. However when he closed his eyes—

Grey flinched when Luke jumped. He stood up quickly. “What’s wrong?”

“I just—closed my eyes,” Luke gasped. He shook his head. “I saw it.”

“It? The wolf?” Grey asked as he sat back down behind Luke, this time with his bare feet in the cold water. He had Luke lean back against him so he could massage his chest and his arms. 

“Yeah.” Luke stared down at the water. The ice cubes were melting, and while the oil smelled nice and was relaxing, the pain was still starting to return in slow, drawn-out pulses. The ice bath had been a nice vacation, but it was over now.

Luke turned his head to look up at him. “I think—I think you should lock me up.”

“Already?” Grey asked in surprised. He ran his fingers through Luke’s blond hair. “But we still have an hour. Isn’t anything helping?”

“Now that…I don’t hurt so much, I can feel it.” Luke ran his hands down his chest and over his stomach. “It’s so p-pissed. It’s so angry. We can’t let it out. _Ever_.”

Grey frowned in disappointment. He had stupidly hoped this would work. In a way it had. Luke looked more relaxed than he had been in days, but now that he was in control, he could feel the danger lurking just beneath his skin. 

“Okay, darling. I’ll take you down there.”

…

Luke lay on a blanket in the cage. When the door closed and locked, the sound of it hurt his ears and he ducked his head down. The pack stood just outside the heavy, werewolf-proof bars. Luke knew they were here to comfort him, but he wished they weren’t there. When the pain became too much and he started to scream, he wished they weren’t there to hear it. He couldn’t open his eyes to see their faces, but he knew they were twisted in pain and worry. He couldn’t hear their comforting voices, but he was confident they were speaking to him. But the pain of being sliced up from the inside was too much for him.

Outside the cage, Grey winced, watching as Luke vomited blood. His body jerked beneath the blanket; he had twisted himself into a ball and the air filled with the scent of blood and urine and body fluids. When the sound of breaking bones filled his ears only did Grey realize he was Changing, too.

He stumbled back, the sound of ripping cloth filling his ears. _Fuck._ He should have stripped before the transformation started, he was nowhere near focused enough to do this smoothly. Instead his ripped through his shorts and tank top. He shook the shredded garments off as fur replace skin, as bones twisted and broke and healed, and the wolf pushed through his human body.

He sat up, bumping into a white wolf, who was staring intensely forward. Grey turned his head and stumbled to his paws. On the other side of the heavy bars was a small golden wolf, smeared with blood and staring at them with furious golden eyes and bared teeth. The expression was entirely alien; there was no Luke in there at all.

A whine caught in Grey’s throat. He stepped toward the cage but Fox blocked him. The brown and tan wolf pushed against him, urging the pack toward the stairs leading up from the basement. The black wolf hesitated, ears trained on the cage.

_We can’t stay down here,_ Fox’s wolf-speak said softly in their heads.

_I’m not leaving him!_ Grey growled.

_He wouldn’t want you down here,_ Collin argued.

_None of us are staying. We’re going outside,_ Fox ordered. He nipped at Collin’s legs, forcing the white wolf to back up. Behind him the golden wolf started to snarl, and he could hear teeth gnawing on the bars, and paws digging at the ground. But the cage was made for this specific thing. He saw Grey’s blue eyes widened and his jaw go slack.

_But—but he’s—!_

Go! Fox snarled. The brown wolf grabbed the grey wolf by the scruff, digging teeth deep until he heard a yelp and whine of submission. Then he tossed the wolf to the stairs and watched as the three ran up and out the open front door.

Then Fox turned around. His ears flicked to the sides and then back. The gold wolf was chewing on the bars to the point that teeth were broken and blood was pooling on the floor. The cage was too small for the wolf to transform into its bipedal werewolf shape, which severely limited the creature’s power and movement. As werewolves they could escape nearly anything, but in their dominate, smaller wolf form, they weren’t as strong.

_There’s no escaping,_ Fox said as he stood in front of the gold wolf, which stared at him with hatred. Knowing the wolf couldn’t hear anything he said, he finally turned and loped up the stairs to his pack waiting outside. The sound of the golden wolf’s desperate howls followed him.

…

The stairs creaked as Luke shuffled painfully down them. He had woken a half-hour ago, naked and alone in his bed. After a shower, because there was blood crusted on his skin and he smelled horrible, he’d pulled on clean pajamas and went to find Collin, who hadn’t been in his bedroom or Fox’s.

The dogs greeted Luke at the bottom of the stairs with wagging tails and happy kisses. It was comforting to know that even if he was a monster, the dogs still loved him. He sat down on the last step, running his hands over their ears and necks. “Hey guys,” he said in a weak, hoarse voice.

The hoarseness in his voice startled him. How long had he screamed last night?

“Luke, hey.”

He looked up as Collin stepped in from the front porch. His pale, nearly white hair was pulled up in a messy bun and he looked washed-out and exhausted. 

“You look terrible,” Luke said as he stood slowly. His calf started to cramp up but he determinedly walked it off. 

“Speak for yourself,” Collin said as he followed his younger brother through the kitchen. After Luke let the dogs into the backyard he turned around. There were black bags under his lavender eyes. “How do you feel?”

Luke rubbed his throat. “Was I…screaming all night?”

Collin frowned sadly. “Howling.”

“A-all night?”

“From what I could tell, yeah.” Collin bit his lip and sighed. “Everyone is asleep, but we made breakfast. I saved you a plate if you want it?”

Luke rubbed his stomach. He felt very weak; he couldn’t remember the last meal he’d eaten that he hadn’t thrown back up. After the Moon last night his body was running on its last bits of energy. Nauseous or not, he had to eat. “I probably should.”

The plate of food was in the microwave. After heating it up he and Collin sat down at the kitchen table. The food was good; there was no doubt about that. Everyone in the pack could cook, Luke himself being the exception and almost started a fire with ramen noodles once. There was steak and eggs for protein and potatoes and pancakes for much needed carbohydrates and sugar, and water instead of orange juice to drink. 

“I guess I was pretty hungry,” Luke muttered when he realized how quickly he had inhaled his food. 

Collin smiled tiredly. “Transforming takes a lot of energy,” he explained. “When you learn to Change on your own, you’ll have to eat more to keep up your energy and strength.”

Luke looked up with a sad frown. “I don’t think I’ll ever learn to do that, Collin.”

Collin’s mouth opened in surprise. The words had slipped out without him even thinking about their significance. Without control, Luke would never learn how to become a wolf at will. He would just become a monster monthly.

“I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t say anything wrong,” Luke sighed. He shifted, running his hand through his damp blond hair. “I’m going back to sleep. Come on.”

Collin followed up him upstairs and together they lay down in Luke’s bed. Luke was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Collin sat there for a moment, staring at his brother. He remembered the look in the wolf’s eyes last night, a fury that he had never seen before, never even thought it possible that a look like that could from his baby brother. It had been the thing of nightmares.

“How can something so hateful be inside you?” he whispered. 

…

“Were you stealing from Raven again?”

Grey chuckled as he handed Luke the steaming cup of chamomile tea. “Hey, the kitchen cupboards are communal.”

“The last time Collin ate your Nutella you—“

“Nutella is different from tea,” Grey gasped. He sat next to Luke. “The box said that this flower-tea is supposed to promote like, relaxation.”

Luke smiled softly and took a slow sip. “It’s good.”

“You feeling okay?” Grey asked. They were sitting on the floor of Luke’s bedroom. There was a blanket and pillows scattered around. Above them the AC unit hummed in the window and the sun shined through the curtains. It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside, but Grey couldn’t enjoy it without Luke.

“I feel kind of sick,” he admitted. “Like that feeling you get before you get sick.”

Grey nodded. “We just had to get through tonight. Which—is easier said than done.”

“I’ll be okay.”

Grey grimaced and reached out to wipe his hand slowly under Luke's nose, which had started to bleed. 

“Shit,” Luke muttered. He turned around to his nightstand and grabbed the box of tissues there. He held a couple under his nose. “Going to start raising hell early?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, the wolf,” Luke said with a shrug. He touched his chest. “I talk to it.”

Grey found himself smiling. “Why?”

“I kind of hope it can hear me,” Luke said as he tossed the bloodied tissues into the wastebasket. “If I talk to it enough, maybe it’ll realize I’m not the bad guy.”

“That’s as horribly sad as it is cute,” Grey thought out loud. He ran his thumb over Luke’s lower lip before leaning in to kiss him. 

“That’s me,” Luke whispered between light kisses. “A sad, and I’m guessing, cute wolf.”

“So cute,” Grey sighed. “Goddamn, you are so cute as a wolf. I wish…fuck.”

“I wish a lot, too.”

“For fucks?”

“No! Grey,” Luke gasped as a bubble of laughter escaped him. It was nice, feeling normal for a little while. He knew it wouldn’t last long, he was exhausted and weak and his legs continued to give him problems with cramps. But for right now, he could afford a little laughter, a few kisses.

Grey lay down with his head in Luke’s lap, looking up as the boy finished his tea. “Did it help?”

“No,” Luke admitted with a shrug. He combed his fingers through Grey’s messy, monochrome hair. “But it tasted good.”

“I guess I’ll just have to go through Raven’s things and see what else I can steal.”

“Finding a new boyfriend after you’re dead sounds like a lot of work.”

…

Hours later Luke was sitting on the floor in the bathroom when the door opened without warning.

“Occupied,” he said with a sad little smile.

“I see that,” Raven murmured. He could smell that Luke had been vomiting, and his skin was starting to sweat. “How are you feeling?”

“Hm,” Luke sighed. “It’s getting worse. By leaps and bounds.”

“Not as bad as last night?” Raven inquired.

“It will be,” Luke panted. “It’s…I don’t know. I think it wants me to let my guard down.” 

Raven frowned. “Why would the wolf do that?”

Luke looked at the tall, brown-skinned boy. For a moment his eyes flickered colors. “I think it wants to kill all of you.”

…

Luke lay panting on the couch, his skin covered in hot sweats, his eyes were red from burst blood vessels and his muscles were cramping. It was just seven and the pain had returned in a rush so sudden that he’d blacked out and fallen, hitting his head on the kitchen table. He’d woken then, vomiting whatever was left in his stomach, along with a few mouthfuls of blood, and watching as the bones in his hands twitched.

“I think—we should—go downstairs—“he cried to the pack that was gathered around, watching him with pained expressions.

Collin frowned. “We still have over an hour until moonrise—“

“No-no,” Luke gasped. He pushed himself up painfully. “No-no!”

“Luke—?” Collin ran forward as Luke collapsed from the couch and onto the floor. Before he could touch him, the skin on Luke’s back split open and bloody fur pushed through.

“Fuck!” Grey shouted. “Collin!”

Collin lurched back just as the teeth snapped at his neck. Luke’s face twisted in agony and horror, skull breaking and skin melting into fur. Luke’s hand came down on his chest, fingers twitching and bones breaking; as nails curled into claws and muscles grew under skin that was soon covered by fur. Collin watched, horrified, as the wolf tore through Luke with violence and speed that Collin had never seen before. 

Their eyes met and teeth flashed. Collin closed his eyes.

The wolf leaped over him, through Fox and Raven, and hit the front screen door hard enough that it snapped open. “Stop him!” Collin shouted as he stumbled to his feet.

Forcing the Change was painful. Collin stumbled as Grey collapsed. Raven’s Change was the quickest, and Collin was just behind him. They darted out the front door, following the scent of the gold wolf that was already gone. The sky was still bright, the sun setting in the West, casting a mixture of colors across the sky. Clouds were building in the South, towering columns carrying the promise of rain and lightning.

Into the forest they ran, following the fresh scent of wild wolf. The two werewolves dodged trees and fallen limbs, spooked animals out of their cover and birds from their perches high above them in the canopy. Collin caught glimpse of a gold tail as they—

The trees stopped and suddenly they were on the highway. Two semi-trucks, one coming either way, blared their horns as the three wolves ran onto the road. The pack scattered to avoid being hit and Collin watched in fear as the gold wolf went under the trailer, barely avoiding the tires. One of the semi-trucks hit the shoulder, stirring up dust and gravel, while its squealing tires burned on the road, filling it with smoke. 

_Get around them, get across!_ Fox shouted as he avoided a car that had come upon the accident scene. He glanced back as the rest of the pack crossed onto the shoulder and ran down the bank and into the trees again.

_Which way did he go?_ Grey asked as he tried to sniff out the wolf’s scent. 

_The…campgrounds_ , Raven growled as he darted forward. This time of year—it would be full of people. The sun had dropped and the night was upon them. Their wolf eyes adjusted easily as shadows crawled across the land and around trees. They ran harder, until their limbs and lungs were burning.

Collin didn’t think he’d ran this fast in his entire life, even with the pain his back leg from when a car had clipped him during the chaos. But he ran through the pain, because he had to stop his brother.

Fox heard the screams before they caught up with the gold wolf. Instead of going directly into the campgrounds he’d gone deeper into the forest, where people sometimes liked to camp alone for privacy, or if the grounds were full and they still wanted to stay the night. It was dangerous, and illegal, but people still did it. Fox reached the collapsed tent first, which was full of rips and tears and splattered in blood. The scent of death and decomposition hit him hard, making his nose burn. He darted around the tent and stumbled over a body of a middle-aged man with his throat missing, along with half his face. 

The brown alpha wolf snarled and spotted wolf prints in the mud. He ran after them.

Fox had seen some terrible things, and he’d done some terrible things. He had killed humans, and he had killed other werewolves. He’d been in vicious fights, and he’d gone to war in self-defense and for the safety of his pack. Not all that long ago he had lead his pack against an invading pack, risking their lives and his own, which he had nearly lost. Collin had come to his aid, and together they had killed the alpha of the pack. It had taken him days to get the taste of blood out of his mouth, and it was taking even longer for him to deal with the thoughts that had crept into his mind after needing Collin to help him defend his pack. 

Tearing apart human hunters and other wolves with his teeth had been bad, but it was nothing like this. The gold wolf had a screaming, sobbing woman on the ground and was mauling her. The ground was covered in blood, and her screams cut through the trees around them. Certainly someone nearby had to hear them. If the police or park rangers were on their way, there would be no way to cover this up—

Fox hit the gold wolf broad-side, knocking him to the ground and rolling them into the trees and down a steep bank. As they snarled and bit, he could hear the woman’s screams—until he couldn’t.

The gold wolf’s eyes were blazing with a feverish insanity. When the gold wolf’s body started to shake, Fox realized that it was going to Change again. Knowing this had to stop, he leaped forward. Teeth sank into his shoulder but he didn’t care, he shoved the smaller wolf to the ground and pulled away. The alpha wolf grabbed the gold wolf by the muzzle and shook hard until the wolf’s head slammed onto the ground.

Fox stood over the other wolf, which had gone still. With heavy breaths he looked up, spotting the rest of the pack which was standing at the top of the embankment they had rolled down. His eyes went to Collin, so white and beautiful and glowing, with his ears squared and his tail dropped down between his legs. Moonlight shined off the tips of his fur before the clouds rushed in, covering them in heavy darkness, scented like electricity. 

Fox looked down at the smaller wolf. So small, so sweet looking…and covered in blood.

He realized then how quiet it was. Fox motioned for Raven to come down and stand guard over the gold wolf while he went to inspect the damage that had been done.

Grey was standing near the woman, now dead on the ground, having bled out from bites on her neck and a torn-open belly. His ears were squared and his blue eyes stared sadly down at the ground. He glanced at Fox as he went by, trotting back to the campsite. Grey followed.

_What should we do?_ Grey asked as he followed tentatively behind his pack leader. The two humans were dead, even with werewolf venom hadn’t been enough to stop the severity of their injuries. 

Fox sighed heavily through his nose. The campsite was a bloody, terrible mess. He looked down at the ground, littered with pawprints and blood, and then the sky. He could smell the rain, could taste it on his tongue. Electricity smelled up the air and he could hear the low rumbles of thunder.

_Is there anyone nearby?_ He asked.

_No,_ Grey answered, _Raven scouted around. He said it looked like people knew there was a storm coming and many had already left. No one knows we’re here_.

Fox stepped around the shredded tent. The entire scene looked like a brutal bear attack. It didn’t happen around here very often, but there were large bears, and sometimes they mixed badly with humans. If the rain washed away their paw prints then it might be mistaken for a bear attack. 

He sighed and lowered his nose to the ground. _Bury them._

_Here?_ Grey asked, startled.

_It looks like a bear attack,_ he said, _if the rain washes away the evidence…_

Grey shifted uncomfortably on his paws, licking his nose, but he did as ordered. He trotted back to the body of the woman and dug a shallow grave before nosing her inside. Already the scent of death was enough to make his nose burn. He growled, giving his head a shake, before he covered her with dirt. Then he grabbed fallen branches and leaves and used them to cover the dirt mound.

He returned to his three packmates, seeing that Collin had gone down to lay by the unconscious body of his brother. Raven was in the shadows, only his gleaming eyes visible.

Fox came back to Grey, giving him a nudge. They trotted down the slope to join the three. Luke was still out, eyes closed tight and tongue hanging from his mouth. Fox pulled his teeth back into a snarl and pawed at the ground, his body shaking. Collin rose to nuzzle him, but received a nip on the nose.

He Changed then, quick with the aid of the full moon, into his werewolf skin. Once he shook out his mane and his limbs, he reached down to pick up the golden wolf and threw him over his shoulder. He motioned for the others to start the walk home. Collin, only now revealing his limp, fell behind. But Grey would pause and wait for him. They were too exhausted mentally and physically to rush home.

It was raining when they reached the Howl house. Lightning streaked across the sky and the trees swayed in the straight-line winds that shook free branches and leaves. Hail fell and the wind howled, thunder boomed and the rain stung their eyes and ears. 

They wolves were muddy and wet to their bones when they reached the front porch of the house. Fox, with some difficulty, fumbled with the front door and then the door to the basement. He needed to get Luke locked up before he woke. Unfortunately he couldn’t Change back to his skin, and he would have to focus all his energy on making his giant werewolf hands work like a delicate human’s.

He had just dropped the gold wolf into the cage, and was fumbling with the lock, when the wolf woke. He squared his large ears, watching as the gold wolf stumbled to his feet to look around. When the wolf seemed to realize where he was, he turned and lunged the door.

_Click._ He secured the lock and stepped back, having to lean over or risk hitting his head on the low ceiling of the basement. He watched as the small golf wolf charged around the cage, slamming into the bars and snarling. 

_You’ve done enough damage for today_ , Fox told the gold wolf. He turned, ignoring the howls that followed him, and headed back up the stairs. At the top he returned to his wolf fur, and stepped outside with the others.

The storm was still raging on, but they were sheltered on the porch. Collin was lying on the ground, whining loudly. His back leg was badly hurt, and Fox started, wondering why he hadn’t noticed this earlier. He padded over to his mate and started to lick the wound.

Collin’s cries didn’t stop though, and soon he sat up, threw his head back and howled. The sound was full of pain and agony. In the basement of the house a howl answered, just as pained. Fox sat back, ears flat, listening as the brothers howled to each other.

Raven shook his head, standing and started to pace. His black fur was wet and his eyes downcast. Grey was lying away from the ground with his nose tucked under his tail and his ears flat. When Collin continued to howl, he started to growl.

_Would you shut up!_ Grey yelled as he sprang to his paws. _Just stop it!_

Collin stood up, ears flat and teeth bared. _Don’t tell me what to do!_

In the background the gold wolf’s howls continued. _I just can’t stand to hear it anymore!_ Grey shouted as he started to whine. His body started to shake and his tail curled up between his legs. _He’s down there, screaming and crying—and we can’t answer back. And I don’t know what I’m supposed to do! I don’t know what to do!_

_None of us know, Grey!_ Collin shouted back. He shifted on his paws. _That’s why I’m howling, too. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do right now. So I’m just screaming!_

Grey panted and whined loudly. He shook his head, stepping back, before he threw his head back and howled. It didn’t make him feel any better though. There was no stress lifted off his chest, no pressure relieved from his chest. It was all still there, growing heavier and heavier, until he was screaming just as loud as the gold wolf in the basement.


	4. I'm Trying Very Hard To Be Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even I can't believe I have a chapter ready! And you guys are so so so awesome for commenting. Seriously, it means sooo much to me! Thank you for reading. xoxo

When Luke woke he, for a moment, had no idea where he was. He was cold, naked, and lying on a hard slab. Only when his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him, and after he tried standing only to smack his head on a very low ceiling, did he realize that he was still in the cage in the basement.

_Why am I still here?_ Panic swelled in his chest and he reached through the bars, fumbling with the lock, but to no avail. Where were the others? Why was he still down here?

He ran his fingers over the thick bars, and could feel little scratches in the metal. There were more scratches on the ground, and lots of dried, smeared blood.

Luke frowned worriedly. “Guys?” he called, or rather, he tried. His voice was hoarse again and he felt sick knowing that he must have been howling all night. “Hey guys!” he shouted. “Hello?”

There was a thump from upstairs and the basement door opened and light flooded down the stairs. Bare feet hurried down the stairs and then Grey was standing in front of the cage. 

Luke sat back, relaxing. “Grey,” he sighed. “I was worried you guys forgot about me.”

Grey’s lips twisted into a forced smile. “I’d never forget about you. Sorry, darling.”

Luke frowned. “What’s the matter?” Grey looked rough. No, he looked horrible. He was pale, his eyes were dry and red, his chapped lips were raw and his fingers were flexing. Dread spread through Luke like cold water. “Wh-what happened?”

“We’ll talk about it upstairs, okay?” Grey leaned down with the key to unlock the cage door. He tugged off his t-shirt and handed it to Luke, who pulled it on over his nudity.

Normally he would have blushed. Grey would have probably tried to say something sexy, or even lean in to kiss him. But Grey kept his distance, and that alone made Luke almost panic. He shook his head. “I-is it Collin? He’s okay right?”

Grey blinked, tilting his head. He could smell the nervousness Luke was throwing off. “Oh—he’s fine. We’re all okay.”

Luke stood in the basement, shivering with his arms crossed over his chest. Grey’s shirt was long on him, but it did little to warm him. But he wasn’t shaking just because he was cold. “I don’t last night. But I was in the cage. I was in there all night, right?”

Grey swallowed hard. He reached for Luke’s hand. “Come on.”

“G-Grey?”

“Let’s go upstairs.”

Luke hesitated before taking Grey’s hand, curling their fingers together. The scent of food reached his nose as he stepped into the kitchen. Today the pack had skipped breakfast and had gone straight to making lunch; beef stew and corn bread muffins. His stomach growled hungrily.

“Where is everyone?”

“Probably just cleaning up,” Grey said softly. “Do you want…”

Luke dropped his boyfriend’s hand. “I’m going to go shower. I’ll be back.”

Grey watched Luke as he darted up the stairs. He stood there, staring blankly into space, before he sucked in a hard breath. He pushed his hands through his messy hair and turned around, willing himself not to have another breakdown. The morning had not been good. He couldn’t seem to pull himself together, and he and Collin…

He stepped up to the front door, looking out. It was the middle of August so while the days were still hotter than hell, the mornings were growing more tolerable. After the heavy storms last night, the air was crisp and cool, and heavy with the scent of green grass and raindrops.

Collin was sitting outside in the old porch swing. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and was staring off into the forest. Grey stood by awkwardly before he finally sat down, jostling the swing.

“Luke went to shower,” Grey said softly. “I didn’t…tell him anything yet.”

Collin sighed heavily through his nose. He turned to look at the other boy. “Where do we even start?”

“We could lie…he doesn’t have to know.”

“I’ve gone over this scenario in my head, over and over,” Collin said as a tear ran down his cheek. “I want to protect him. But lying to him…will only make it worse.”

“About last night. Collin, I’m sorry I yelled at you. I just…didn’t know how to handle what was going on,” Grey spoke very softly. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling.”

“I imagine I’m feeling the same as you,” Collin quaked. “Terrified. And angry.”

“Do you think, when we were howling, that he could hear us?”

“Luke or the wolf?” Collin asked.

“Both.”

He looked at Grey. Collin finally shrugged. “I don’t know. I wish I did.”

“Food is ready,” Fox called from inside.

Collin sighed, stretching out his legs before he stood. His broken leg had healed after his Change back this morning. He stepped inside with Grey just behind him, as Raven walked across the living room and Luke shuffled down the stairs.

It was quiet, everyone looking at Luke. The boy stopped and his face paled as he stepped back. “Okay guys,” he said desperately. “What’s going on?”

“Why don’t we all eat, and then we’ll talk,” Fox suggested. He and Raven were the only two who didn’t look like they had been crying. He slipped his arm around Luke’s shoulders and pushed him toward the table. “You haven’t kept anything down in days and you’re looking like a skeleton.”

Luke frowned, but huffed and sat down. Grey sat down beside him, resting his hand on Luke’s knee. “But you’re okay?” Luke asked him.

Grey smiled softly. “Yeah, I’m fine darling. How are you?”

He shrugged. “Tired. And I have a headache.” He turned his attention to the bowl of hearty beef stew that was set down in front of him, along with a tall glass of water. Momentarily he forgot that he was worried, because he felt better than he had in days. He put a handful of soup crackers in his stew and grabbed a cornbread muffin from the serving plate on the table. 

The pack ate in silence, and only when the stew and muffins were gone and the dishes finished, did Luke remember that something had happened last night. He pulled his knees to his chest, the heels of his feet on the chair seat and gripped his toes. 

“Are you guys going to tell me what’s going on?” he asked.

Collin opened his mouth, but Fox interrupted him. “I will,” he volunteered. “As alpha, I should.” He took a deep breath, meeting Luke’s lavender eyes. “Luke, do you remember anything from last night?”

He shifted uneasily. “Not really. I just remember lying on the couch.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes,” he said somewhat forcefully. His feet hit the floor. “What happened?”

“You Changed before the moon rose,” Fox explained, “and you got away.”

Luke felt his stomach drop and wished he hadn’t eaten so much. “A-and?”

It was suddenly hard to speak, and Fox was wishing he hadn’t volunteered to do this. But he was alpha, and it had to be his responsibility. Luke was a packmate, even if his wolf was wild. “You attacked two people outside the campgrounds.”

Luke felt numb. He started to shake. “I…” he glanced around at his packmates. He knew by their expressions. “I killed them.”

“Yeah, you did,” Fox said gently. “You killed them.”

“It’s not your fault—“ Grey started.

Luke stood, knocking the chair behind him over. He shook his head. “It _is_ my fault,” he insisted loudly. “I-I killed people—“

Collin stood quickly, grabbing Luke and pulling him into his arms. Luke let out a cry before he pulled away. “I can’t…”

“Luke,” Fox said as he stood quickly. “Remember what we’ve talked about? We’ve all—“

“You’ve all killed, I know,” he cried, “but I can’t…I need to be alone.” 

Collin dropped his hands to his sides, watching as Luke turned and ran up the stairs. He wanted to run after him, but if Luke wanted to be alone, then he’d let him. He looked at Grey, who was pacing around the living room. He could smell the heavy scent of wolf and wondered if Grey was going to lose control and Change.

“Grey, let’s go running,” Raven suddenly said, stepping up to him.

Grey glared at the other boy. “I ran all night. I just want to—pace right now.”

“No, let’s go,” Raven insisted. He grabbed Grey from the arm and dragged him out the door. 

Collin turned to pick up the chair that Luke had knocked over. He looked at Fox, who was leaning against the kitchen counter. “Maybe we shouldn’t have told him.”

“He had to know,” Fox softly said. “We all have these demons, Collin.”

“But he’s so…young,” Collin mumbled.

“Not any younger than I was,” Fox argued quietly, “or Grey.”

Collin looked out the window. He couldn’t see Raven and Grey anywhere. Outside the huskies were barking, so they must have seen where the wolves went. “Right, yeah, I know.” He shook his head. “I feel really sick.”

“Should we go upstairs?” Fox asked.

“He wants to be alone.”

“So what?”

Collin looked up. “Yeah…yeah so what.” He turned and ran up the stairs.

…

Luke wasn’t surprised when his bedroom door opened and Collin stepped in. He was sitting on the floor, with a pocketknife in his hand. There were red cuts across his arm and wrists; his skin was slick with blood. When Collin smelled the blood he leaped forward with a yelp, knocking the knife away from Luke’s hand.

“Goddamn it!” he shouted. “What are you doing?!”

Luke’s chin quivered as tears ran down his face. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Luke,” Collin fumed, “you do not do this to yourself! Do you understand? I don’t—“

“I killed people, Collin!” Luke yelled, staring up at his brother. 

“So what!” he all but screamed back as he grabbed Luke by his shoulders and shook him. “So fucking what! We’ve all killed people. It’s horrible! But that doesn’t mean you should be doing this! Didn’t you learn anything from what happened to me?!”

“I was going to do it,” Luke admitted tiredly, “but…I kept thinking how sad you’d be.”

Collin sank down to his knees in front of his brother. He could feel his heart breaking. “You have no idea how sad I’d be without you,” he insisted desperately. “In fact, I don’t think I could go on without you. You need to promise to me this will never happen again.”

“I smelled blood—“ the door flew open and Fox stepped in, face flushed from running. When he saw what Luke had done, he swore and stomped into the bedroom.

“It’s okay,” Collin said. He looked at Luke’s arms. “He’s already healing.”

Luke frowned. He took Collin’s wrists in his hands, turning them over. He wasn’t wearing any bracelets or bangles or cuffs to cover up his suicide scars. They were white and shiny against his pale skin and blue veins. “Yours never healed.”

“No. And I don’t think the ever will,” Collin sighed. 

“I’m sorry,” Luke whispered. “For everything.”

Collin frowned sadly and let Luke cry against his shoulder. He tucked his face into Luke’s shoulder, smelling his scent; terrified boy mixed with furious wolf.

“Just don’t do it again,” Fox spoke up as he sat down on Luke’s bed. “Come to us next time. We’re all here for you.”

“Right, yeah,” he mumbled as he sat back. “Am I going to Change again tonight?”

Collin looked up to Fox, who had grabbed a box of tissues from the bedside and was handing them over. “Tonight is the third night of the Moon,” he stated. “The pull of the moon will be at its weakest; even we don’t have to Change.”

“Lock me up anyway, just to be sure,” Luke insisted. He took the tissues from Collin to blow his nose and then wipe his eyes. He stared at the damage to his still bleeding arms.

Fox would have normally argued with him, but after what happened last night, he could only nod. “Until we’re sure you won’t Change,” Fox agreed. “If you don’t, we’ll let you out. You’re not staying in there all night.”

“I don’t mind. I should be punish—“

“No,” Collin interrupted. “You don’t be, and you don’t deserve it. It’s not your fault.”

_But is it really the wolf’s fault?_ Luke wondered to himself. It was so angry and hateful because of the torture it had gone through. It was only fair that it hated humans, and unfortunately most of the pack for locking it up. Maybe the fault was on them both. _I wonder if any therapists deal with werewolf issues?_ “What do we do now?”

“I’m going to sleep,” Fox said. “If you guys don’t need me?”

“We’re fine,” Collin answered. “How about we make brownies?”

“Seriously? You want to do that after…after all this?” Luke asked in disbelief. He looked at his brother, still kneeling in front of him. The color was completely gone from Collin’s face, and he looked exhausted. But if he wanted to make brownies, Luke wouldn’t deny him that. He’d scared him awfully—just now and last night, Luke imagined. He swallowed the guilt. 

“I can’t think of anything better to do.”

…

When Grey and Raven came home the first thing he noticed was the rich, heavy aroma of fudge brownies. The second thing he noticed was Luke wearing a tank top and the colorful bandages covering his arms and wrists.

Grey stopped, his heart flipping in his chest. Collin turned to look at him, noticed his panic, and quickly shook his head while mouthing, “I will explain later.”

“I hope you’re putting cream cheese frosting on those,” Grey said as he walked up to the brothers. He looked closely at Luke, who was tense, but was acting more relaxed than he had in days. His nose wasn’t bleeding and he wasn’t crying, but there was no ignoring or denying the cuts.

“With rainbow sprinkles,” Luke answered with a little smile.

“House full of queers, of course the rainbow sprinkles are a must.”

He watched Luke as he moved around the kitchen. The bandages continued to catch his attention and he looked worriedly to Collin. The pale-haired boy glanced at his brother and back to Grey, shaking his head. 

Grey could imagine the guilt that Luke was feeling. What he’d done, it wasn’t something you just got over. Grey knew that it never, ever went away. 

“So I was thinking that maybe tomorrow, we go out together.”

Luke looked at his boyfriend. “Me?”

“Duh,” Grey said with a smile. “How about…dancing?”

“I can’t dance, you know that,” Luke said as he finished mixing cream cheese with powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. 

“But I can,” Grey argued playfully. “And I know you like to watch me dance.”

Luke’s cheeks heated up and he glanced at Collin, who was looking away. “We’ll talk about it later. Um, but isn’t Raven’s sister stopping by?”

Grey sighed a bit dramatically. “I wonder if she’s as big of a stick in the mud as he is.”

“Grey.”

“What? It’s true, Collin,” Grey smirked. “Oh, maybe she’s hot.”

Luke looked up from the brownies he was currently frosting. “So?”

Grey blushed. “Threesome?”

“We haven’t even…two-somed yet.”

Collin looked up in surprise. He honestly hadn’t expected to hear that. He didn’t want to think about Luke having sex, probably as much as Luke didn’t want to think about Collin having sex, but Grey was horniest guy Collin had ever known. 

“Get your ass off the table Grey, we eat there,” Collin scolded.

“Like you and Fox haven’t fucked on this table.”

“Uuuuugh,” Luke whined.

…

Luke sat in the cage, but it was well past moonrise and nothing had happened. Still, Luke didn’t trust leaving the cage. What is the wolf was putting up an act? What if the moment he left the cage the wolf came out and killed more people? Or worse, someone in the pack? He couldn’t— _wouldn’t_ ¬ let that happen. All Grey’s pleading couldn’t get him to leave the cage.

“Luke, darling, please,” Grey tried again, “you aren’t going to Change.”

“I still feel kind of sick and feverish,” Luke argued from where he sat against the corner. In anticipation for the Change he had stripped naked and wrapped himself up in a blanket. It was cold on the stone floor though and he wished he had left on his jeans.

Grey huffed, clucking his tongue, as he unlocked the door. Luke yelped in protest, fear sparking in his lavender eyes, but all Grey did was slip inside and lock the door behind him. He set the key on the ground outside the bars, just in reach.

“W-what are you doing?” Luke gasped. “What if I Change?”

“Then I’ll Change too,” Grey said as he crawled over to Luke and sat beside him. “And we’ll howl together all night long.”

“I could hurt you—“

“No, you couldn’t,” Grey said certainly. “Trust me, darling, I’m not that fragile.”

Luke pulled his knees to his chest. “So just what are we going to do then?”

“What were you planning on doing?”

“Wallowing in my sorrow.”

“We aren’t fucking doing that,” Grey said. “Wanna make-out?”

Luke couldn’t stop from smiling. “Seriously?”

“I miss the taste of you.”

“You kissed me earlier.”

“Mm, but not like this,” Grey purred. He touched his thumb to Luke’s lower lip, before cupping his chin and leaning in to kiss him. As he expected, Luke’s soft lips opened for him, and he slid his tongue slowly past them, tasting Luke and licking against his tongue. Luke licked him back, tilting his head and leaning forward. 

Grey groaned in his chest, moving so he could press Luke against the wall behind him. Delicate hands tangled in his hair and the blanket slid down, revealing Luke’s shoulders and chest. Grey slid his hand down Luke’s neck and chest, stopping there to slowly rub one of his nipples.

Truthfully his relationship with Luke was the slowest one he had ever been in. He’d moved faster with his first girlfriend than he had with Luke, and they had both been slightly younger than Luke was now. But this never bothered him. They went at their own speed, and even though Grey found himself having a lot of wet dreams about the boy, he never felt deprived. 

“Mm,” Luke sighed as he squirmed a little. He was very much aware that he was naked beneath the blanket, and that Grey was kneeling just against his knees, which suddenly fell open. Grey pressed up between them, groaning. Luke found himself frustrated with the barrier created by the blanket, and was suddenly pulling at it.

Grey leaned back when the blanket fell open and Luke was naked beneath him. Grey stared, a heated blush crawling up his face. He’d seen Luke naked many times, but this situation as very different from every one before that. Luke was aroused, and he was blushing, and his lavender eyes were bright and hungry.

“Fuck,” Grey swore as he leaned back, running his hand through his hair. Then he ran his hands down Luke’s ribs before he leaned down to kiss at his chest.

“G-Grey,” Luke gasped. Grey’s mouth kissed across his chest before stopping at his nipple, which it licked and started to suck. They had never done this before. They had made out; they had rubbed on each other, but nothing like this. Luke moaned softly, legs trembling as Grey rubbed his jean-clad groin against his own. The movement was so sensual and stimulating that Luke honestly thought he’d cum right there.

Luke tangled his hands in Grey’s hair, whimpering as the other boy kissed between his nipples and then down his stomach, and then down further. _What is he—oh—!_ Luke let out a loud, surprised gasp when Grey licked up his erection.

“G-Grey!” Luke yelled in surprise. Grey’s head bobbed between his legs, his soft hair tickling his thighs and stomach. His mouth was wicked; warm and talented, sucking and licking and nibbling. Luke’s breath stuttered and he clapped his hand over his mouth to keep from yelling; his other hand fisted the blanket he was sitting on.

It was simply too much and too good. Luke’s hips bucked and his body trembled as he gasped, his cries muffled beneath his hand. When he came it was hard in Grey’s mouth, which sucked greedily until Luke was soft and his cries were whimpers.

Grey placed a loving kiss on Luke’s inner thigh. He smiled. “How was that?”

Luke blinked tears free from his eyes as he shifted, looking down at his boyfriend. “I can’t believe you d-did that.”

“I can’t believe we didn’t do it sooner,” Grey laughed. He leaned up to kiss Luke’s cheek. When Luke turned to him, he kissed his lips. Then he pulled Luke against him and lay down with Luke across his chest. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them.

Luke pressed against him, eyes fluttering closed.

“How are you feeling?” Grey asked.

“Good,” Luke said softly. “But I still don’t want to…leave here.”

“We won’t,” Grey promised. He kissed the top of Luke’s head. “We’ll just stay here together until the sun comes up. Maybe I’ll even give you another blowjob.”

Luke laughed warmly. “Maybe you can teach me how to do it.”

“Oh fuck I think I just came in my pants.”

“Grey!” Luke laughed, slapping the other teen’s chest. He settled down against him, comfortable and warm and satisfied. He even felt better; his fever was gone and his head wasn’t buzzing with mixed thoughts anymore. He looked at the colorful bandages on his arm. He peeled one off. 

“Healed.”

“Hm?” Grey inquired, looking down at Luke. They shifted, Grey being careful that Luke was wrapped in the blanket, until the boy was lying next to him. He turned to face him.

“I’m all healed,” he said as he pulled off another bandage.

“Well, yeah,” Grey said. He peeled off a bright orange bandage. 

“This was stupid, wasn’t it?” Luke whispered.

Grey licked his lips. “Yeah. But we all handle things in our own way.”

“I don’t know if I can handle it,” Luke admitted. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Honestly, Grey hadn’t stopped thinking about it either. The entire scene had been straight out of a horror movie, and he hadn’t even been there for the actual attack. He exhaled a long sigh. “You know—“

“I’m just…trying very hard to be here,” Luke whimpered.

Grey shifted and pulled Luke into his arms, wrapping him up. “We’ll get through this Luke, together.”

“What about next month?”

“We’ll deal with it when it gets here,” Grey said. “And we’ll get through it.”

“But what if…we can’t fix this?” Luke asked. He pressed his face into Grey’s chest, letting his warmth and scent cover him. He started to shake as tears fell down his face. 

“Then we’ll just live with it,” Grey said. He kissed Luke’s neck before pressing his face against his shoulder. “We’re together forever, Luke. I love you, and I won’t ever leave you.”

Luke looked up in surprise. “What?”

Grey smiled warmly. He rolled Luke onto his back and leaned over him. “I said I loved you,” he repeated softly. He kissed the tip of Luke’s nose, and then his cheek, and then his lips. “I love you.”

Luke’s lip trembled. “I love you, too.”

“Look how sappy we are,” Grey chuckled. He kissed Luke’s neck, giving his skin a soft bite. Something wild rushed up inside him as he nipped Luke’s shoulder, leaving a little bruise. Luke gasped beneath him, before leaning up to bite Grey back.

“My, my, those are some sharp teeth you have,” Grey growled playfully.

“All the better to eat you with,” Luke giggled.

“Mm,” Grey groaned. “Maybe I’ll eat you right now.”

Luke gasped, laughing, when the basement door suddenly opened and there were footsteps on the stairs. Luke gasped and Grey quickly rolled off him.

“Guys?” Collin asked when he reached the bottom of the stairs. When he saw the two, with messy hair and blushing, he laughed. “Sorry, am I interrupting?”

“No,” Luke said while Grey grunted, “Yes.”

Collin smirked. “Are you really going to stay in there, Luke?”

Luke sat up, keeping the blanket around himself. “Yeah.”

Collin tugged on his braided hair. “Do you want some clothes, then?”

Luke glanced at Grey before nodding. “Actually, yeah.”

“Okay I’ll—“

“How about a board game?” Grey asked.

Collin turned around. “What?”

“Grab Monopoly and join us,” he said.

Luke laughed. “Yeah, why not?”

“You sure we can all fit in there?” Collin asked with a grin.

Grey shrugged. “Yeah, I bet so.”

After Collin came back with pajama pants, a t-shirt and the Monopoly game, the trio settled inside the locked cage, which was a little cramped, but they didn’t really care. They set the game up between them and started to play.

“Grey cheats, by the way,” Collin warned as he went through his cards and money.

“It’s not cheating if you win,” Grey argued.

“Yes it is,” Luke said back.

“What if I cheat and lose?”

“It’s still cheating, but you just really suck at it.”


	5. Essence of Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading as always! I've been tuning up my Howling playlist in hopes of finishing a chapter every week. Can't promise that, but it would be really great if I could. Keep howling! xoxo

Collin stretched until his back popped. The cage was small, cramped, and he couldn’t imagine being trapped in here for a full moon cycle. He looked at Luke, who was tiredly sitting in Grey’s lap, flaunting over his third Monopoly win. Grey was laughing with his face tucked into Luke’s shoulder and his arms wrapped around his waist.

“Well, this was super-fun,” Collin said sarcastically, “but the sun is up, and I am shot.” He reached through the bars, grabbing the key and unlocked the door, swinging it open. He stepped up and stood up, stretching again. When he turned back, Luke was staring at the open door.

“It’s okay,” Grey insisted. “The sun is up.”

“But…what if…”

“No what-ifs,” Collin argued. He reached down for Luke’s hand, and sighed in relief when Luke took it and pulled him out. Grey followed after packing up the game rather haphazardly. “See? No problem.”

Luke rubbed his forehead. “Right, no problem.”

“Let’s go get some sleep,” Grey said as he took Luke’s hand. “Come on.”

Collin followed them up the stairs, stopping in the kitchen as the duo retreated to Grey’s bedroom which was on the first floor of the house, next to bathroom and then Raven’s room. He went to the kitchen, when he saw Fox outside. After pouring himself a cup of coffee he stepped out.

Fox was doing push-ups in the grass. He was sweaty and had thrown off his shirt and his shoes and socks. His feet were dirty, so he must have been running.

“You’ve been working out a lot lately,” Collin observed. “Not that I mind.”

“I just need to get stronger,” Fox grunted. He turned over and started going sit-ups.

Collin frowned. “You don’t think you’re strong enough? Have you looked in a mirror?”

“I don’t care about how cut I am, this is about me being able to protect you.”

Collin’s grip on the coffee cup tightened. This had been an ongoing thing ever since the fight with Serene’s pack. “You do protect us, Fox,” he said. “We’re all here, aren’t we?”

“And when Luke got away?”

“He had a head-start,” Collin argued. “And I don’t care how much you push yourself, you’ll never be able to force a Change.”

Fox stood up. He was panting and sweating, and his muscles were twitching beneath his tanned skin. During the summer he, Raven and Grey worked on roofing houses and repairing siding and sometimes even tore up flooring. It was a good work-out, and kept them all in-shape and strong, but it wasn’t enough.

“Look,” he said with a sigh. “When the next fight comes, and it will, I need to be ready. I can’t rely on someone else being here to help me. As alpha—“

“Fuck, really?” Collin snapped. “You’re seriously _that_ mad that I helped you kill Serene?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to,” Collin said. “You’ve been pissy about this ever since. Oh, don’t give me that look. You try to hide your feelings, but I know you better than anyone.”

“You think you know me so well, do you?” Fox growled. “Huh?”

“Yeah, I do,” Collin growled back. “I know that ever since that fight, you’ve been working out. Trying to get stronger, trying to get faster than even Raven. That you think it makes you a weak alpha if you can’t kill someone without help. But that doesn’t make you alpha at all—“

“Strength is a major part of being alpha!” Fox barked. He stomped in the grass toward Collin, who lifted his chin and scowled at him. “If I can’t protect you, then what is the point of me holding the title? Might as well just let Raven or Grey have it, then!”

“Raven and Grey don’t want it,” Collin said. “And Raven has told us before what it means to lead the pack—that it isn’t always the strongest.”

“Well, it was bullshit and you know it.”

Collin growled. “You know what, forget it. I’ve been up all damn night, I’m going to bed. Did you sleep at all?”

“Just go, I don’t need you babysitting me.”

Collin bristled. He turned on his heel, stomping toward the house. He flung the coffee cup into the kitchen sink, wincing when it shattered, before heading toward the stairs that lead up to his bedroom. But the television was on in the living room, and it stopped him.

“…this is Andy Fell and I’m reporting here from the Pineview Campgrounds where this morning, after a severe storm two nights ago, a park ranger came across a very startling sight,” the newsman speaking looked calm and professional as he went on to describe the discovery of a bloody, torn up tent and prints that appeared to be from a bear, though the storm had washed away nearly all the evidence. They had found no evidence of bodies at the scene, but a half-mile away, in the RV court a neighbor had found two people dead inside their vehicle. “Apparently after noticing no activity in the RV, Amy Pens went to check on her neighbors, an elderly couple whom they had shared the campfire with the night before. But when she pushed the door open, she was sickened to find the couple bludgeoned to death in their bed.”

Collin frowned, staring at the television. The kitchen door opened with a snap and he turned to Fox. “Hey, get over here,” he said. 

Seeing the worry on Collin’s face, Fox jogged into the living room. The new-caster went on with the story of the campsite and the RV, talking of the possibilities of it being linked, but there being a lot of doubt that a bear could do so much damage.

“Luke didn’t get into the RV Park, did he?” Collin asked.

“No, no way,” Fox said. “I stopped him just outside the campgrounds.”

“What did you and Grey do with the bodies?”

“We buried them,” Fox said. “But…they should have found them.” Dropping the bodies in the river had crossed his mind. They had done it before, and it had proved an effective way to get rid of evidence. But these were innocent humans, and Fox didn’t think it had been fair to just get rid of them. Their families deserved to know what happened to them, even if it was horrible.

“Maybe we should go look.”

Collin turned abruptly as Raven walked in the door, the huskies at his heels. The dogs greeted each person with a wagging tail before going to find their food bowls.

“Right now?” Collin frowned. “They’ll be cops all over that place.”

“Tonight then,” Fox said. “But—your sister?”

“She’ll be here by tonight,” Raven confirmed. He could feel that she was close. 

“You can I can go,” Collin said to Fox.

“I can do it—“

“Jesus, stop with the fucking ego,” Collin growled. “This is serious!”

Fox scowled back at his mate. For a moment he was going to argue, but Dashi started to howl from the kitchen. He jumped when he saw Dunri was holding his empty food bowl in his mouth and was wagging his tail.

“Sorry guys,” he said. He stepped around Collin and into the kitchen, momentarily swamped by the two dogs as he filled their food and water dishes. “This is all Grey’s fault, you know. He forgot to feed you.”

Collin turned off the television and shook his head. “I’m going to bed.”

Raven watched as Collin sprinted up to his bedroom. He looked at Fox, who was picking shards of a broken coffee mug out of the kitchen while the dogs ate. He knew Grey and Luke were together in Grey’s bedroom, he could smell their mingled scents.

Turning he went back outside. The sun was high, the sky was a solid, perfect blue, and he could feel in his heart a she-wolf approaching. It would be a nice break from the tension at home to see his sister. Maybe her presence would even help ease some of the pressure in the household.

…

There was a woman walking up the driveway to the house. Grey stood up from where he and Luke had been lounging on the porch, eating caramel popcorn and playing Mario Kart on Grey’s Nintendo DS. When Grey saw her, he had to take a moment to stare. She was stunning. Tall and lithe like Raven, with the same copper skin and long, straight black hair. She was wearing no shoes or socks, just dirty grey capris and a yellow t-shirt that had an aloe plant print on the front. Over her shoulder was a leather pouch and around her waist a worn, flannel shirt was tied.

“Raven?” Grey called into the house. Luke sprang up next to him.

The door opened and Raven stepped out, saw his sister, and then ran down the driveway. The woman laughed in joy and darted toward him, and tackled him into the grass. 

Grey laughed loudly. “Thought I’d never see that.”

“Let’s go say hi,” Luke chirped as he grabbed Grey’s hand and dragged him off the porch.

Raven sat up, a bright smile on his face. “Willow,” he laughed softly.

“Baby bird!” she hooted loudly. Her smile was bright, and her grey eyes soft and brilliant in the mid-day sun. 

“I’m not a baby anymore,” Raven said with a smirk.

“You certainly aren’t,” Willow agreed as she stood, pulling Raven up with her. “I almost thought we wouldn’t fall.”

“You took me by surprise,” he said. Raven looked over his shoulder when he heard Grey and Luke crossing the yard towards them. He turned. “Willow, these are my two of my packmates. Grey, and Luke.”

Grey grinned brightly. “Nice to meet anyone who can make Raven smile.” The words had the effect that Grey predicted, which was to wipe the smile off Raven’s face and replace it with exasperation. 

“Yeah, hi,” Luke said timidly.

Willow tilted her head at the blond boy. She looked past Luke to the house as two more boys stepped down into the yard. One, slender and beautiful, the other the obvious alpha by the way he carried himself and his scent.

“My alpha, Fox, and Collin,” Raven introduced.

Willow stepped up to shake Fox’s hand, smiling at him as she did. “Thank you for letting me crash here,” she said. 

“Anytime,” Fox said. “Any family of Raven’s is family to us.”

Willow smiled at him. She turned to Raven. “Is there a shower I can use?”

“Yes of course,” he said, stepping up to her. “I have the guest room ready for you, too.”

“Can I borrow some of your clothes? Until I wash mine?” she asked.

“You didn’t bring more than one set of clothing?”

“Baby bird, I’ve been a wolf most of this journey.”

“A wolf with a knapsack?” Luke asked with a little chuckle.

“Fashion trend of the year, pup,” Willow chirped with a bright smile.

The pack remained in the yard as Raven and Willow went inside. Fox laughed once the door was shut. “Can we trade her for Raven?” he joked.

“Maybe she can stay,” Luke said. “I’ve never seen Raven smile like that.”

“I have,” Collin laughed, “but it was at Grey’s expense.”

“Hey, hey, we don’t need any bad memories dredged up,” Grey argued.

“Why not?” Fox asked.

“So, can I call him Baby Bird?” Grey wondered out loud to change the subject.

“If you want to die slowly,” Raven grunted as he stepped back outside. He had shown Willow the upstairs bathroom, which was next to the computer room which he had set up as a guest bedroom, and had given her a change of his clothing to wear while hers washed.

Grey shrugged. “How long is she going to stay with us?” he asked.

“I didn’t ask her,” Raven answered as he crossed the yard. He glanced back at the house before turning to the pack. He lowered his voice. “But remember, you can’t mention anything about Luke or what happened at the campgrounds.”

Luke shifted nervously. “D-do you really think she would tell someone?”

“I love her and she is family, but she isn’t pack anymore,” Raven said. “It’s safer just to keep between us, okay?”

“I agree,” Fox said. “Raven, if you want to stay here tonight with Willow, I can go out to the campgrounds alone.”

Luke frowned. “Why would you go back there?” he asked.

“I just want to check something out,” Fox said.

“No, I’ll go,” Raven said as he turned back to the house, “I might catch something you miss.”

“In other words, he thinks you’re too stupid to do it alone,” Grey translated.

A muscle ticked in Fox’s jaw. “Fuck off, Grey.”

“Wow, testy much?” Grey snapped with a growl. He grabbed Luke’s hand and pulled him back to the house, following Raven.

Collin crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ll take Raven, but not me?”

Fox shifted on his feet. “Raven is the best tracker we have.”

That, Collin couldn’t argue with. “Are we going to talk about earlier?”

“I’m sorry,” Fox answered. He sighed, pushing his hands through his hair. It was getting long and shaggy; he would have to get it cut before school started. “I’m just going through some things right now. I didn’t mean to yell at you. Or be such a dick.”

Collin sighed. “I just want you to remember that we’re a team. We’re both alphas in this pack. You might be bigger and stronger than me, but I’m still apart of you.”

Fox nodded. He stepped close to Collin, leaning in to kiss him only when Collin tilted his head up for it. He sighed, touching their foreheads. “I love you.”

After another kiss they went inside where the pack had gathered in the kitchen. Grey was pestering Raven with questions about his pack, which he was stubbornly refusing to answer while he went about the kitchen making a meal for his sister. They had left-over roast beef from lunch so he made a hearty sandwich with fresh fruit on the side. 

The stairs creaked as Willow descended them. Raven’s t-shirt and sweatpants fit her pretty well, and her black hair was glossy and clean and braided down her back. “Is that for me?” she asked her brother.

“Yes,” Raven said. “What do you want to drink?”

Willow sat down beside Luke, who smile shyly at her. “You probably don’t have any beer.”

“We’re all under twenty-one,” Collin pointed out. 

Willow laughed. “Right, of course. Whatever you have is fine then.”

“W-we have brownies too,” Luke offered softly.

The she-wolf turned to him. “Oh, that would be so great. I’ve been living off river water, rabbits and deer for weeks. Not that it isn’t good, but I do miss chocolate and sugar.”

Luke sprang up to get the pan of left-over brownies for her, while Raven handed her a plate and a glass of lemonade. He sat down across from her. 

“How has your travel been?” he asked.

“Spiritual and lonely,” Willow admitted as she ate. “Eric and I used to vacation in the mountains every year, spending most of our time as wolves. I’d hoped that this journey would have helped me feel closer to him, now that he’s gone, but all it’s done is remind me that I’m alone.”

Raven frowned. “It…takes time of course.”

“I know,” she said. “Trust me, I know very well how healing works. It’s just hard, you know? I had known him since I was four…losing him was like losing a limb.”

Luke swallowed hard. He couldn’t imagine losing Grey. Thinking about the pain it would leave caused a wave of guilt to bubble through him. He rubbed his hand over his healed arm and wrist. Thank God I didn’t go through with that, he realized. 

“You can eat all the brownies, if you want,” Luke blurted out.

Willow laughed as she turned to him. “Puppy you are the sweetest!” she said and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “If I feel like binging on all your brownies, I promise to make a new batch before I leave.”

Luke blushed. “O-okay.”

Raven shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat. “Do you want me to go with you?”

Willow, and the rest the pack, looked up. “What?”

“If you don’t want to return home alone, I’ll accompany you,” he offered.

Willow smiled softly, albeit a little sadly. She shook her head. “That is sweet, brother, but I can read your body language well enough to know that that’s the last thing you want to do. No, I’ll be fine. I’m already fine. In fact, seeing you, and meeting your pack, is making me feel better than I have in weeks. Maybe what I really need is my family.”

“Well, you can stay with us as long as you want,” Fox offered. “We don’t mind.”

“Thank you, Fox.”

…

That evening, Collin, Luke and Grey invited Willow to go swimming at the Blue Pool, while Raven and Fox snuck away to the campgrounds. Night was falling when they shed their skins for furs and slipped into the forest. 

The two wolves prowled through the trees and up across the highway to the campgrounds. This area was littered with so many these days that Raven was honestly surprised that they weren’t seen more often by hikers. Thankfully when Fox’s parents purchased the house, they had purchased the large chunk of land that came with it, and had given them a fair bit of freedom. The rest of the land was protected park lands, which meant that they didn’t need to worry about hunters. Trespassers were few and far between. Only a couple times had someone come up to the house, and it was only because they had become lost while hiking.

There was an empty patrol car on the road near the campgrounds and yellow tape and closed signs blocking the way. The two wolves went around them, keeping to the shadows and dry land so they wouldn’t leave any fresh prints in the mud.

Raven huffed when they reached the scene of Luke’s attack. The tent had been removed and the area was blocked off with crime scene tape. The ground around the area was littered with boot prints of all shapes and sizes. Raven stepped under the tape and sniffed around.

Fox growled suddenly. There were prints and evidence of humans all over. So where were the bodies? They had died that night, Fox knew this for certain. There was no way they had healed and became werewolves. But the bodies were seemingly just…gone.

He trotted to the around Raven to the where he was sure he and Grey had buried the one of the two humans. He pushed aside limbs and branches with his nose before he started to dig. His paws dug easily into the disrupted earth; however they didn’t turn up a mutilated human body, but a heap of black ash that glittered in the moonlight.

The alpha wolf yelped and leaped back. Behind him Raven snarled, baring his teeth. The two wolves dashed a few years away, breathing heavily while flicking their ears and tails. Fox dropped his head to the ground, scrubbing his nose into the dirt and ferns there, trying to rid the smell from his nose.

The black wolf moved forward slowly, ears flicking back while he inspected the dug up ashes. He went to where the other body had been and started to dig, only to turn up more ashes. The scent was strong and hit him hard, making him wheeze and wrench. He turned running back to Fox and shaking his head to the point that he was stumbling.

 _This isn’t what I think it is, is it?_ Fox asked as he paced. His hackles were raised and his tail held high. He licked his tongue over his muzzle and bared his teeth.

 _I think so,_ Raven said. He sat down and flattened his ears. _But I haven’t much experience when it comes to vampires._

Fox looked over his shoulder at Raven. The word sent a shiver up his spine and he found himself looking around the area. The trees were dark, shrouded in black shadows. An owl hooted somewhere and the moonlight shined down, illuminating leaves and pine needles from above. But he didn’t feel like they were being watched, and he saw no eyes in the darkness.

He trotted around the campsite to the ashes. He huffed and growled again. This would explain why there had been no bodies found. Even the search dogs hadn’t discovered the remains, as the scent was no longer human. He shook his head and leaped over the ashes to return to where Raven sat.

 _I can’t believe this,_ Fox growled. _Fucking vampires?_

…

“Vampires?” Grey repeated with a started expression. “As in…as in vampires?”

“Vampires are real?” Luke asked with a frown. 

The pack had gathered outside to talk privately while Willow slept upstairs. Luke was sitting in Grey’s lap, while Collin and Fox sat on the porch swing and Raven perched on the railing. 

“I’ve seen them before,” Fox said. “Well…I mean, I’ve smelled them. They look like humans, so it’s kind of hard to tell the difference unless you’re really close.”

“My experience is pretty much the same,” Raven said. “All I really know is they’re pale with red eyes and fangs. Pretty much what you would expect.”

“That’s pretty cliché,” Collin smirked. “So the vampire movies were right?”

“I can tell you that they absolutely do not sparkle,” Raven grunted.

“So…so like, Dracula?” Luke asked with a bit of excitement. “Was he real?”

Raven shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“We’re…kind of drifting on the subject,” Fox interrupted. “We can debate sparkling vampires later. Right now we need to focus on the fact that there are vampires in the area.”

“And that Luke didn’t kill those two people,” Collin added.

Luke looked up with a little frown. “But you said I did, Fox. You caught me?”

“I caught you after you mauled one and went onto the other, but obviously something else had reached those humans before you. I think what happened was a vampire attacked, and when we showed up, it ran off and you…went after the source of blood. After we buried them, they must have turned vampire, then burned in the sun.”

“They were shallow graves,” Grey said, “maybe it wasn’t enough protection?” He sighed, resting his chin on Luke’s shoulder. “Now I think about it, when you asked me to bury them, the scent of death and decay was already pretty strong. Like, crazy strong.”

“Do vampires smell like decay?” Collin asked.

Fox shrugged. “I mean, the ones I’ve seen did kind of smell like death, but not rotting corpse death.”

“If the vampire is living in a nest with dead bodies, that might explain the heavy scent you smelled,” Raven said.

“Are vampires solitary?” Luke asked.

Raven tensed. He looked out into the darkness. “Not usually.”

“So there could be…a bunch of them,” Collin said with a shiver. “Fuck.”

Luke bit his lip. “Maybe they didn’t realize there were werewolves in the area and they left after that night? Like…they killed the couple in the RV on their way out?”

“If they were smart, they should have left,” Fox said. “But we won’t know for sure unless we go out there and find the nest.”

“Are you crazy?” Grey cut in. “We don’t know the first thing about vampires! Others than what we know from the movies. We can’t just go out and find a nest of them.”

“If we go in daylight—“

“No,” Collin interrupted, “Fox, Grey is right. It’s too dangerous. We need to do some research first. We can’t just barge in there.”

Fox rolled his eyes. “Research on vampires? So the children’s section of the library?”

“It always works in the movies,” Grey pointed out.

Fox sighed heavily. “For right now, let’s just keep our guard up,” he suggested. “We won’t go looking for trouble. Raven, maybe reinforce the pack boundaries? If the vampires are still around, maybe they’ll leave the campgrounds closer to us alone if they smell werewolf. For now, let’s just assume that they’re somewhere on the other side of the highway, heading East. Hopefully they’ll stay there.”

“Maybe we should also limit out time outside after dark,” Collin suggested. “Alone, anyway.”

“Yeah, cuts your odds of being killed by fifty-percent.”

“That’s great, Grey,” Fox sighed.

…

Luke looked up when the front door opened and Raven and Willow stepped outside. It was early, very early, but Luke hadn’t been able to sleep past six. He’d crawled out from under Grey’s arm, used the bathroom, changed his clothes, and then had stepped outside with the dogs. After playing with them he’d gone around to the front of the house and sat down in the porch swing.

“Morning, Luke,” Willow greeted cheerfully. 

“Good morning,” he replied. “Going for a walk?”

“We haven’t ran together as wolves in a long time,” Willow said, “Raven said he was going to show me some ridge your pack gathers at.”

“Oh, yeah, the Ridge,” Luke said, “you’ll like it there.”

“Do you want to come with us?” the she-wolf offered.

Luke shook his head. “I can’t Change on my own.”

Raven glanced between them. “Come with anyway,” he offered. 

“I’ll just slow you down,” Luke stuttered in surprise. Raven was actually inviting him go along? Luke wished he had a camera.

“No, you won’t,” Raven insisted.

“Yeah, come on puppy,” Willow said before she turned, stepping gracefully down the stairs and into the yard, where she started to Change. Luke stood up, watching as she went from woman to wolf. Her Change was much like Raven’s, that fluid beauty that only natural-born werewolves had. When she was finished she stood in the sunlight, the light brushing off her dark, dusty grey fur.

Raven touched Luke’s shoulder before he went down into the yard, Changing as well. When Luke realized the two wolves weren’t leaving without him, he went to grab his hiking boots and a bottle of water. He ran down into the yard with the two wolves, which turned and headed into the trees.

He never lost sight of the two dark shapes. Willow would prowl off on her own occasionally, nose to the ground and ears trained forward, but Raven was always in sight, his black fur making him look like someone had punched a hole in reality. 

It was a long walk, but one that Luke was used to, and had done many times on his own. He stepped around familiar trees and rocks, until soon the trees stopped and he was walking out onto a rocky outcrop scattered with boulders larger than cars.

Willow ran around the Ridge, stopping near the ledge and looking down and then the scene beyond. The valley was far down below them, with Geode Lake sparkling in the sunlight and the trees stretching for the sun. Past the rolling hills of green were snow-capped mountains, which were very clear today. Luke smiled and sat down in the shade.

He watched as Raven and Willow ran through the trees and around the rocks, chasing each other and tackling each other to the ground. It was certainly entertaining, and refreshing to see Raven having so much fun. The black wolf was only slightly larger than the dusty grey one, but that didn’t stop the she-wolf from tackling the other wolf to the ground. 

Luke pulled his knees to his chest and started to think about the idea that there were vampires in their forest. He looked to the sky, his eyes following a hawk as it circled overhead. It was daylight now, which meant they were certainly safe. If Fox and Raven were right, then vampires couldn’t tolerate long exposures to the sun without burning up and turning into ash.

Luke’s brain was suddenly over-flowing with questions. How much sun was too much sun? Did crosses and garlic really work? Did vampires have to drink blood every day? Were they evil, soulless creatures like in the movies? Or were they misunderstood like werewolves in the movies and there was more to them than there seemed?

He had so many questions and not one person could offer him any answers.

When his phone buzzed in his pocket he pulled out it out to see a text from Grey.

**Grey (6:15am:) _Where are you?_**

**Luke (6:16am:) _At the Ridge w Raven and Willow_**

**Grey (6:18am:) _Still up for dancing tonight?_**

Luke couldn’t stop from smiling and felt his cheeks heat in a warm blush. His toes wiggled in his sneakers and he quickly replied with a thumbs-up emoji.

Someone howled behind him and Luke twisted around to watch Willow, who had climbed up one of the larger boulders, and had thrown her head back in a low sounding howl. Raven trotted up to the base of the rock, watching her, before howling as well.

Luke quickly lifted his phone and snapping as many pictures as he could. He was in the middle of recording them when Willow leaped off the boulder and ran at him, tackling him to the ground. He yelled in surprise, laughing as the she-wolf pushed her wet nose into his hair and neck and licked at his face.

“Stop it!” Luke laughed. “You’re worse than Grey!”


	6. The Magic Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you are all sick and tired of my apologies for taking so damn long. But I am sorry. And I appreciate your patience with me! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Hopefully the next chapter won't take nearly as long as this one did! xoxo

“I can’t believe you went dancing with those two.”

Willow laughed warmly. “It was fun! You should have come with.”

Raven wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think so.”

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud,” she said. “A little fun is okay to have, especially with packmates. They really care about you Raven, even if you try to push them away.”

Raven glanced at his sister. “Stop making observations. It’s unsettling.”

“It’s a gift,” Willow chuckled. “And you’re an open book, baby bird.”

Raven frowned, hoping not everyone could read him as well as his sister. They were walking through the trees, already miles away from the house. After breakfast Willow had decided it was time to start her journey home, and so the pack had wished her good-bye and Raven had started walking with her.

He sighed. “Well, I’ve changed more than I’m willing to admit.”

Willow stopped and turned to him. “And that’s okay.”

“Yes… I suppose,” Raven sighed. They were standing at the farthest edge of pack lands. The ground beneath their feet was rocky and ahead was a rushing river, the water foaming around heavy rocks and fallen trees. On the other side was a rocky beach before the land started to sweep up, covered in tall, old pines that were all shades of green and sprinkled with brown and dead branches. Above them a hawk circled and Raven could smell the woodsy scent of bear.

“You’ve found yourself a wonderful little pack,” Willow said. “Fox and Collin seem to be under some tension, but they’re a solid pair of alphas. And Grey and Luke, well, they’re an interesting couple, aren’t they?”

Raven chuckled. “They are.”

“You don’t see that kind of love very often,” she spoke softly, her eyes suddenly sad.

Raven stepped toward her. “Willow…”

She shook her head. “I’m all right. These couple of days were very healing.”

“You could…stay longer,” Raven offered.

Willow shook her head. “No. I’m ready for the long travel home. But I’m going to miss you. Do you think you’ll ever visit home?”

Raven shifted uncomfortably. Everyone in their pack had their secrets, their demons, and Raven was no exception. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to see is father and mother yet. He shifted somewhat nervously. “I don’t…know.”

Willow nodded. “It’s all right. Maybe the birth of the twins will bring you back.”

“The—What?” He stuttered.

Willow gave her brother a sly smile. “Did I leave out that detail?”

“Yeah,” Raven said as a tingle of excitement rushed through him. His father, Ivory Horn, was one of the oldest werewolves Raven knew, pushing one-hundred-and-fifty but looking no more than thirty-five, but in his entire lifetime he’d only sired two children: Willow and Raven.

“Willow,” he asked, “has father ever asked you to take the mantle as alpha?”

Willow exhaled softly. The wind picked at her lose hair. “He did. Right before he asked you.”

Raven frowned. “You said no?”

“I’m a healer, little brother,” she explained. “I don’t have the tenacity or fire to lead. I was honored, and I felt bad for turning him down, but it wasn’t who I was. Not...at that time anyway. Had Eric not been killed he would have taken on the responsibility and I would have stood proudly by his side.”

Raven’s lips twitched into a smile. “You’re full of more fire than I am. You would have been a very formidable alpha.”

Willow threw her arms around her brother. “I miss you already!” She exclaimed. “Please keep in touch. Let Grey show you how Skype works.”

He wrinkled his nose but agreed with a grumpy, “Fine.”

She kissed his cheek before stepping away. “Good bye, baby bird.”

Raven stepped back as she changed from woman to wolf. Old magic seemed to crackle around her as she dropped to the ground, her legs breaking and rotating around; fur and flesh melted into her clothing and her hands and naked feet spread out into large paws and heavy claws. Her transformation was grace and a horrible beauty. Her magic made Raven think of Collin, the way he Changed and tuned into the Moon. It reminded him of the magic in himself. And the powerful magic trapped inside Luke.

Raven raised his hand as Willow howled before turning to run into the wild. Raven stood for a moment, the pull of nature pushing him to nearly transform as well, but he had something more important in mind. He headed back to the house, where his truck was parked.

...

“I wonder what it’s like.”

Fox looked up. He and Collin were lounging at the Ridge. After Collin spent an hour on the phone with Mary and Dan, the latter being completely unreasonable, talking about the start of school, the two had decided they needed a run and possibly a fuck. They had run, then collapsed here in the shade, staring at the valley below.

“What, what is like?” Fox asked.

“To go off on your own like Willow. Live ad a wolf and let it completely take you over.”

“We’ve all done that, kind of.”

“I don’t mean a weekend,” Collin said. They had each taken a turn living as a wolf for a weekend, a sort of right-of-passage, but it was nothing compared to Willow’s journey. “I mean... a long time. Weeks. Just exploring the world through your wolf’s eye.”

Fox shifted somewhat worriedly. “Are you thinking of leaving?”

“I could never do that,” Collin said. He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “There’s too much going on here right now anyway.”

Fox moved closer until they were touching. “Look...I know things have been hard lately. And I know I’m a big part of that, but I want you to know that I love you. A whole fucking lot. And I want you to remember that I’m always here for you.”

Collin exhaled softly. “I know that. And I love you too. A whole fucking lot.”

Fox decided to show him just how much he loved him. He cupped Collin's face, pulling him up for a kiss. Soft at first, their lips brushing together, before Collin leaned in and pushed his tongue against Fox's lips, which opened readily. He groaned, threading his fingers through Collin's long, pale hair, before gripping it tight at the base of his head. Collin gasped roughly, his head going back and exposing his neck. Fox kissed and bit at the pale flesh there, sucking hard on flesh that tasted like sweat. A possessive growl rumbled through him, until he bit hard enough to draw blood.

"F-fuck," Collin gasped as he squirmed. He shifted, reaching back to detangle Fox's hand from the hard grip it had in his hair. "Not so hard, Fox."

Fox's hand fell and he paused a moment to kiss the bleeding mark on Collin's neck. "It'll heal soon enough," he reminded him.

"Werewolf teeth scars, remember?" Collin gasped. "I don't really want bite scars on my neck."

"Why, don't you want everyone to see them?"

"We live in the human world, not the werewolf," Collin reminded him, "bite marks on flesh don't... really have the same meaning. So maybe try bite me somewhere less visible."

Fox nodded. "Right, yeah, no problem," he said. He leaned in to kiss him, pleased when Collin easily kissed him back, even lying back and pulling Fox onto him. He groaned. "Mm, baby."

Collin shivered as hands found their way up his shirt, caressing his skin and over his nipples. Their kisses were deep, every brush and lick and caress filled with passion and fire. Collin was shifting, his fingers working at Fox's belt, when the ground shook and sudden BOOM ruined the moment.

"Jesus--fuck--" Fox gasped as he sat up, straddling Collin. He looked behind him, where the sky had gone dark and grey, and filled with angry clouds and rumbling thunder. The wind picked up around them, and the air grew suddenly cold. The scent of rain filled the air along with the static of impending lightning. Fox's heart started to pound for a whole new reason. "Shit." 

Collin sat up, pushing at Fox until he stood. Collin sprang to his feet. "We better run."

Another boom of thunder drown out Fox's agreement. He grabbed Collin's hand and the two turned, darting into the trees and toward home. There were no real trails here, no landmarks or signs to tell them where to go. The first time Collin visited the Ridge alone he'd found himself terrified that he wouldn't be able to find the Howl house again, and that he'd end up lost in the woods until Raven found him. But he soon realized that his wolf instincts would always guide him home, and he would never get lost. He trusted in those instincts now, as he and Fox ran blindly through rain and darkness; swaying trees and branches that whipped at their hair and clothing. 

Both were soaking wet when they reached the house. Collin kicked off his shoes as he shook out his hair. Outside the wind was howling and thunder was roaring. Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by the sound of hail hitting the windows.

"Weather report says severe thunderstorm warning," Fox said from the living room where he had turned on the television. "And a tornado warning in the next county--"

The lights went out. Collin blinked a couple times until his eyes adjusted. His eyes may still be human but his werewolf blood gave him the ability to see pretty damn well in darkness. He fished his cell phone from his back pocket and saw that he hadn't missed any calls. "Raven's truck is gone, and Grey and Luke are out, too."

"They went to the movies," Fox reminded him as he went to the window and looked out. Hail was turning the yard white. The trees were thrashing madly and leaves were falling to the ground in clumps.

"Hours ago," Collin said. He dialed Luke and waited. His brother's ringback tone, not surprisingly the theme to Star Wars, played until the voicemail picked up. Collin grunted in annoyance and tried again, and again, and again, until finally--

"Yeah? Hi?"

"What took so long?" Collin snapped a bit more sharply than he meant.

"I had it on vibrate and we're driving and it's kind of scary out here," Luke explained. "Sorry."

"No, no it's okay," Collin said. He ran his hand through his hair, pulling at it. "You're on your way home?"

"Yeah," Luke said. "We're almost there, actually."

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Be careful."

"Right. Bye."

Collin set his phone down on the table. "Should I call Raven?"

Fox looked up. He'd fetched two candles from the closet and lit them, setting one on the kitchen table and the other on the coffee table in the living room. He went to check on Grey's dogs, were both curled up under his bed, whining. They hated storms. But short of getting under the bed with them, there was nothing he could do to comfort them. He just left the bedroom open so they could come out whenever they felt safe enough.

"I'm sure he's fine," Fox said. "It's Raven, right?"

Collin was going to argue, when he saw a familiar cell phone sitting on the counter in the kitchen. He went to pick it up and shook his head. "He left his phone here anyway."

"Typical."  
…

The storm swept through the city with an unexpected curtain of rain that flooded roads and hail that dented in the doors and hoods of cars. Raven however, didn’t care if his old pick-up had a few more dents than it did before. It had its fair share of scars already, and a couple more weren’t going to ruin the vehicle. The rain however, was proving to be more than troublesome; flooding roads and holding up traffic. He pulled off the nearest exit, which brought him down into the Old Market shopping district, complete with brick streets, large iron post lists, vintage antique shops, cafes and locally-owned bakeries and many assorted shops. 

Raven pulled into the first opening parking spot he found. He sat there for a moment, watching as rain pelted the wind shield. The street and sidewalk were quiet, but all the buildings were lit up and the street lights were on. It was later than he realized. After Willow left Raven had come into the city and gone to older bookstores he’d frequented before, along with two of the larger libraries, all in search of information that might help Luke. But finding legitimate information on werewolves was like finding a needle in a haystack.

There was no driving home in this, not just yet, so he thought it wouldn’t hurt to try one more store. There was just up the street from where he currently sat. The building was flanked on one side, and the other was open to a narrow alley. The building was traditional brick, with black shutters over the windows and a dark, gothic looking door. An electric “open” sign blinked in the large bay windows. There was a bench sitting under the balcony on the patio area and clay pots were scattered around the front of the building, filled with blooming white flowers and what looked like lavender. There was an antique sign hanging from the balcony that read “Dark Moments: For all Your Cursing and Curing Needs.”

Raven resisted rolling his eyes. There were dozens of little shops like this around the city. They catered to mostly witch-wannabes and actual Pagans, but mostly they targeted people interested in healing crystals, making their own soap, essential oils, and hipsters. But there was a store Raven had never seen before. It couldn’t hurt to browse their book selection, right?

He pulled on a jean jacket he always kept in his truck before stepping out and dashing through the rain to the building. A little bell rang when he opened the door and stepped inside. At first he didn’t see anyone else, but he was too over-whelmed by the by the scent that hit him that he didn’t even notice that he was the only costumer. The scents were over-whelming: herbs, old books, leather, flowers, tea, bones and animals and fur. He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and looked around.

There was a large oak counter at the front of the store with an old fashion cash register. On the wall behind the counter were shelves filled with CDs, glass jars filled with rare and exotic items, even fully persevered deceased animals like bats, lizards, frogs and rats. When he stepped forward he saw that there were jars filled with bird eyes, feathers, lizard tails and feet; porcupine quills, turtle claws and what was possibly human teeth. There were human skulls on the higher shelf and Raven was sure the dreamcatcher on the wall was constructed around a human ribcage.

He frowned. Either the owner of this place was very devoted or a serial killer. 

The store front was very crowded, and not very large at all, which surprised him. There were shelves of books lining the walls, including one large glass case that had an alarm system hooked up to it. The books behind the glass were so old and ancient that Raven wondered how they were still intact. A large sign on the glass read “For supervised use ONLY. See management for assistance.” One of the large books was bound in what looked like leather, but Raven was sure he smelled human skin. Another book had a large shiny emblem on the front: two half-moons bordering a pentagram, and the book smelled like werewolf blood and fur. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

He turned from the books and browsed what the rest of the shop had to offer. There were three study tables along the wall and large windows that were currently covered by heavy curtains. Old iron lamps were station at each table, emitting a soft glow. There were racks of what looked like hand-made jewelry by different artists. A display of incense holders was in one corner and in the opposite corner a display of cooking and baking items, including candy molds shaped like Wiccan and Halloween idols. 

There were more locked cases holding many magic items, most of which made Raven’s nose itch and caused him to sneeze. The heavy scent of magic made his eyes burn, so he moved away from the displays. It was then that he realized he was no longer alone.

He might have jumped if he didn’t scent her just before he turned around. He froze, staring at the young woman standing across from him. She was older than he was, but he didn’t think she was older than twenty-two or three. She was leaning back against the register counter with an amused smile on her plump red lips. She had thick, reddish-brown hair that was long and curly and held back by a black headband. Her eyes were green and bright, outlined by heavy black makeup. She was short and curvy in all the right places, curves that were accented by her black leggings, black leather boots, and a short purple sundress that had sequins across the chest. Raven couldn’t tell if she was wearing a push-up bra or not, but he realized that he shouldn’t be staring so rudely at her breasts.

Raven met her eyes, and she stepped away from the counter. “See anything you like?” she asked. Her name-tag caught his attention: “Emma.” 

“Just looking,” Raven said. He gestured to the locked book cases. “You have quite the selection.”

Emma smiled warmly, her cheeks coloring. “We’re more legit than those little new age shops up the street by the Starbucks and Urban Outfitters,” she said proudly. “Anything you need for cursing, curing, charming or protecting, we have it. I can help you if you want.”

Raven’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a witch?”

“You betcha,” she said cheerfully. “My name is Emma.”

“Yes, I read your nametag,” Raven answered.

The windows rattled with thunder and the lights flickered. Rain continued to pour down outside and echoed throughout the store. Soft piano music was playing on the CD player behind the counter. When lightning struck close enough to make the lights go out and then back on, Emma said, “I was just making myself some tea. Would you like a cup? You’re soaked through your shirt and must be chilly.”

Raven made an indifferent gesture. He wasn’t cold exactly, but he wouldn’t say no to a cup of tea. Emma left him, going through the open doorway to the back where Raven assumed a breakroom or kitchenette was. 

Realizing that it was getting late, and the storm was rather intense, he thought he should check his phone for missed calls, but when he patted down his pockets he found it was gone.

_Where… oh. At home, on the kitchen counter,_ he remembered. Well, that was typical.

He shrugged and stepped back up to the books. He was leaning close to the glass when the energy in the room changed. He froze, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He stood up straight and very slowly turned around. Standing near one of the cases of forbidden books was a young man. Raven thought for a moment they were same the age, but when he smelled the air, he realized that was very, very wrong to assume.

He was wearing a black button-up silk shirt and black ripped jeans, with red converse shoes. His hair was wavy and shoulder-length and so inky black that it had a blueish tint to it. But it was the icy cool paleness of his skin, and the ruby-red glitter of his eyes that really caught Raven’s attention and put him on alert. He sucked in a sharp breath.

_Vampire._

The vampire smiled, purposely showing his fangs. He stepped away from the glass case and walked slowly toward Raven. Each step was graceful and careful, like a cat stalking a mouse. Raven backed up quickly and bumped into one of the study tables.

“Well, I thought I smelled something,” the vampire purred.

Raven growled deeply in his chest. His skin started to crawl and his fingernails curled into claws. Realizing he was on the edge of Changing he backed up in a different direction. He needed to put some distance between him and the vampire. 

The vampire raised his hands slowly. “Calm down, werewolf, I’ll not hurt you.”

He felt foolish, but he had never been cornered by a vampire before, or even been this close to one. He took several deep breaths and focused on staying human. When he felt his claws recede he turned his attention back to the vampire, only to be shocked by its beauty. His skin was pale, yes, and his eyes a terrifying red, but his hair looked incredibly perfect and soft, and his lips were full and his eyelashes thick and perfect.

“My name is Jason,” the vampire said with a little smile. “What can I help you with?”

“You work here?” Raven asked, and was thankful his voice didn’t shake.

“I own here,” Jason said with a bright grin. It was strangely predatory and terrifying, but mesmerizing at the same time. “This is my shop of all you can ever want when it comes to the wonderful world of magics. I cater not to those that are imposters and wannabes. We are the real thing. What you wish for, we have.”

“You sell silver here, and crucifixes,” Raven pointed out.

“They are very good sellers,” the vampire chuckled. He brushed his hair back and stepped forward. He pulled a large wooden cross off the wall. He tilted his head and smirked at Raven’s expression. “I sell wolfbane and other werewolf poisons if you want.”

Raven felt his hair bristle again, but he forced himself to remain steady. “Why does that not burn you?”

“It’s not blessed,” Jason said. He put the cross back where it had been hanging. “It’s nothing more than wood and nails. A vessel to hold something powerful, but it must be given that power, or it’s just simple materials.”

Raven frowned, turning away for just a second, which was long enough for the vampire to move without a sound. He was standing less than a foot away from Raven, causing him to step back and growl.

“Seriously, Jason?” Emma scolded as she stepped into the room carrying a large silver tray, “you’re teasing the werewolf?” She set the tray down on the nearest table and turned to the vampire and the werewolf. “He’s just teasing you. He can be a dick.”

“Don’t make me fire you.”

“As if,” she laughed.

“You know what I am, too?” Raven growled with annoyance.

“I told her,” Jason said. “I thought if you were dangerous, she should know how to defend herself and to leave if necessary.”

“And it’s not necessary?” Raven asked.

Jason tilted his head, his red eyes catching in the light and glowing. “No.”

Emma cleared her throat. “If you two are done,” she paused, motioning to the silver tray, “the tea is ready, if you’ll join me.”

“That’s not all tea,” Raven growled.

“I don’t have a taste for it,” Jason chuckled as he picked up a coffee mug, filled with warm blood. He sat next to Emma, who had picked up a different cup and filled it with tea from the tea pot. He could smell it now, lemon and honey, and there were shortbread cookies there as well. 

“You can stand, if you want, but please,” she picked up the other cup, filled it, and offered to Raven. “No poison, I promise.”

Raven frowned at her words, but he accepted the cup. He sniffed the tea before taking a sip. Yes, lemon and honey, and a little chamomile. After some hesitation he pulled out a chair and sat down across from the two.

“Perhaps you should take a picture, Emma,” Jason teased, “what a kodak moment this is.”

Raven sat back in his chair, thinking how ridiculous this was, and why he was even sitting here, when the vampire spoke again, “So what can I help you with, werewolf?”

“Do you know anything about the murders at the Pineview campgrounds?” it wasn’t exactly the questions he wanted to ask, but it was what came out of his mouth.

Jason’s lips and cheeks had regained some color from the warm blood slowly coursing through his veins. He arched and eyebrow. “Why do I think I would know anything about that?”

“Because there is evidence of a vampire attack,” Raven said.

“That wasn’t in the newspaper,” Emma said with a frown.

“Ah, so because I am a vampire, I should know all about my brethren’s activities?” the vampire asked with a smile. His fangs extended and Raven gave a shudder.

The door chimed and two girls hustled in out of the rain. Emma rose to talk to them and Jason stood as well. “Come, let’s talk more in the back.”

Raven frowned as he stood. “You think I’m that stupid?”

“I think you don’t want humans to hear this conversation,” Jason said. “And I think you have more to ask of me.”

Raven realized he must be crazy, because he followed the vampire through the doorway that Emma had come through earlier. As he suspected there was a door leading to a kitchenette/break room, another door leading to a restroom and two other doors. One door, slightly ajar, was labeled “Office: Staff Only,” and the second “Private: Storage.” The storage door had a suspicious collection of locks and bolts.

Jason led Raven through the Office: Staff Only door. Inside was an elaborately decorated office and, strangely, the door to a walk-in refrigerator. There was an oak desk and chair, with two sitting chairs in front of the desk. In the corner was a small sitting area with three chairs, love seat, coffee table and a stained-glass Tiffany lamp. The walls were a deep red and gold wallpaper, the flooring was the same red carpet and the woodwork was a deep golden oak. There was a door for a coat closet and a hat rack in the corner.

Raven stared at the freezer. Did he even want to know what was in there?

“Now, back to your vampire problem,” Jason said as he went to the sitting area and took a seat in one of the heavy, plush chairs. He crossed his ankle over his knee and leaned back, watching Raven with eyes that were again predatory. “Tell me about it.”

Raven sat down in the opposite chair, though he dared not relax. He did tell Jason the details, leaving out very specific ones involving Luke’s involvement and the pack’s in the death of the two new vampires. Jason seemed to know that Raven had left out specific things, but he didn’t argue or force the story further.

“Well, it does sound like you might have a problem,” Jason said. “And so very foolish of them to prey on campers in such a public area. It must be a nest of new vampires.”

“So you don’t know anything about this?” Raven asked with a glare.

“No, I don’t. Wouldn’t that be too easy?” the vampire taunted.

Raven sighed irritably before remembering the real reason he came here. “I didn’t come here to talk about vampires.”

“I figured as much.”

“I’m looking for something to help a friend. I need a sedative that will work on a werewolf.”

Jason leaned forward somewhat, interest caught. “Oh?”

“Just to…take the edge off, to help with the transformation.”

“I thought all werewolf transformations were difficult and painful,” Jason said. 

“They are…”

“Unless you need it for something else,” the vampire hummed as he tapped his finger to his chin. “Perhaps…a feral werewolf?”

Raven tensed. “I never said that.”

“No, I suppose not,” he said with a smirk. “But I might be able to help you. We have herbs and oils here that might be able to calm a raging wolf. I’ll ask Emma to bag them up for you.”

Raven stood slowly. That was easier than he thought. “And the vampires?”

Jason, who had started to walk away, stopped. “What about them?”

“How do I stop them?”

Jason smiled, showing his fangs again. “I’m sorry but I’m out of free information. But if you’d like to earn more time with me, you’ll let me have a taste of you. For payment.”

Raven paled, his stomach dropping. “What?” he choked.

Within a blink of an eye Jason was behind Raven and his cool lips were against Raven’s neck. He didn’t bite, but he did startle the werewolf enough that he leaped across the room and knocked over the hat rack. Raven snarled, eyes blazing with the wolf within him.

Jason, eyes red and predatory, gave him a terrifying smile. “Your blood, dear wolf, is of great interest to me. Though I’ll not bite unless you offer yourself to me.”

“Like I would ever do that,” Raven snarled, voice gnarled from his near Change.

Jason shrugged. In a movement too quick for even Raven’s eyes, he was at the door and opening it. He stepped out first, giving his back to the werewolf in a gesture that he wasn’t afraid of him, and walked away.

Alone, Raven leaned against the wall to catch his breath and calm down. He was walking a very fine wire, just on the edge of Changing. He looked around the office, eyes landing on the walk-in refrigerator again before he walked quickly to the front of the store.

The two humans were still there, seated at one of the study tables with books. Emma was at the register with Jason, putting an assortment of baggies and small jars in a bag and ringing them up at the register. Raven kept his eyes on the vampire, who was watching him back just as closely, as he reached for his wallet.

He didn’t know how much the items cost, he wasn’t listening to Emma as he prattled on about the effects the items may have when being used as a sedative. She danced around saying the word werewolf, talking more of nightmares and anxiety. When she handed Raven the bag and his change she wished him a blessed night, and hoped to see him again.

Raven was sure he would never come back to this place.

When he reached his truck he was still shaking.


	7. Dog Meat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.

“Wow, there is a lot of damage out there,” Luke murmered as he stood looking out the window of his bedroom.

It was a little after eight-in-the-morning but the cloud cover gave the illusion that it was much earlier than it was. The air was cool and damp, the sky overcast and the sun nowhere to be seen. The trees had taken quite the beating earlier, there were branches down and many were stripped of leaves. Luke could see one tree had fallen into the others, and he wondered how long they would support its weight before collapsing as well. The house had taken a fair bit of damage as well. The siding was dented and broken in some places, the roof was missing shingles, and a couple of the windows were cracked.

“Yeah, well cleaning up the yard is going to be more fun than this,” Collin said from where he sat on Luke’s bed. “School is starting.”

Luke was tempted to put his hands over his ears and ignore what his brother had said. “Yay,” he grumbled instead.

“And Dan wants us back home for the year.”

Luke’s purple eyes widened. “Wha-what? We can’t go back there. I can’t go b-back there! It’s too dang-dangerous.”

Collin motioned for Luke to sit. “I know,” he agreed, “and I don’t want to go back either. But if we don’t play along, Dan will most likely do something rash.”

Luke had a pretty good idea of what the man would do. “So... what will we do?”

Collin shrugged. “I don’t know yet, really. Right now, let’s just focus on classes.”

Collin, Fox, Grey and Raven were all seniors this year. The thought made Luke’s stomach turn and his palms sweat. He was only a sophomore, and he didn’t want to think about going through the next two years alone. Other than the pack he really didn’t have any friends, and while he could try to make some, he honestly didn’t want to. “Are you going for the whole year? Or part?”

“The whole.”

Luke frowned. “Why? Your goal was to graduate ear—“ he stopped mid-word. “Are you staying for me?”

“I dunno.”

“You don’t have to,” Luke grumbled.

“Maybe I do,” Collin said easily, even though decision to stay the whole year had not been easy. He didn’t want to do it. And if they weren’t dealing with this problem of Luke’s feral wolf then he would be graduating early. They all would be. But things had changed and Luke couldn’t be alone.

Hopefully they came to some solution after this year though, because Luke would be alone and they would have no way to stay with him in school.

Luke huffed and collapsed onto the bed, burying his face in a pillow. “Fine,” he mumbled, “how many classes do I need to take to graduate early?”

Collin laughed. “Well, that isn’t going to happen this year, but we’ll see if we can work something out.”

It didn’t take long for Luke to decide on classes, and then he was going downstairs to find Grey, who was surprisingly still in bed. After letting the dogs out and giving them fresh food and water, Luke slipped into Grey’s bedroom, closing the door behind him.

As he walked back to the bedroom he was thinking of the best way to wake Grey up. He wanted to be sexy, but he had no idea how, and he was still rather clueless when it came to things like that. However his thoughts were dashed when he entered the bedroom.

Grey was in the throws of a nightmare. His skin was covered in sweat and his chest was heaving with heavy, desperate breaths. He was thrashing around, even arching off the bed, as he groaned and shook his head. He thrashed again, as if he was fighting someone off.

“Jory—” he cried, his voice deep and wracked with pain. “Jory!”

Luke flinched, standing by the door, staring at his boyfriend with large eyes. He’d never seen Grey suffer from a nightmare before, nor heard him yell for whoever Jory was. But Grey was shaking, his face was wet with tears, and his body—

He was going to Change. Luke rushed forward and leaped onto the bed, grabbing Grey by his shoulders. “Grey!” he shouted as the skin beneath his hands became fur. “Wake up!”

The boy beneath him flinched and lurched upright, making Luke jerk back just to avoid being hit head-on. Grey blinked his eyes rapidly, looking around while swallowing deep breaths of air. When his eyes focused on Luke, he frowned.

“Hey… what…”

“You were having a nightmare,” Luke explained. He looked at Grey, who was no longer in danger of a spontaneous transformation, so he sat back on the bed. “You were yelling and crying.”

Grey frowned, rubbing his head. His hair was damp and he was still trembling. “Oh…yeah.”

Luke bit his lip. “Who’s Jory?”

Grey’s head snapped up, his blue eyes were wide and full of panic. “What?”

“You were…yelling for Jory. Who is he?”

Grey swallowed hard, looking green for a moment. But as quick as the panic set in, he pushed it away. He shrugged, twisting his lips into a weak smile. “Some kid at school. I dreamed he was drowning in noodles.”

While Luke had no doubt that Grey would have such a dream, he knew that it was a lie. He was tempted to call him out on it, but if Grey felt the need to lie… “Sure, uh-huh.” He’d let it go, for now. Seeing Grey upset was unsettling. 

Grey sat with his back against the pillows. “I should shower… Want to join me?”

“That’s okay,” Luke said with a blush. “I was going to help clean up the yard.”

“Why?”

“The storm damage,” Luke explained.

Grey’s eyebrows furrowed into a frown. “Oh, right. It did storm.” He leaned off the side of the bed to look under it.

“Oh, they’re outside,” Luke said, realizing Grey was looking for Dunri and Dashi.

“Oh good,” Grey said as he sat up and then stood. He twisted until his back popped. “Well, I’m gonna shower. I’ll meet you outside afterwards, okay?”

Luke sat on Grey’s bed, watching as the boy grabbed a change of clothes and left the room. He stood after he heard the bathroom door close and walked through the house and out the front door. Fox was standing on the porch, sipping coffee from his favorite mug, and watching the sky. The clouds were starting to disperse and the sky was turning bright colors. The birds were singing.

“Morning, Fox,” Luke greeted.

Fox turned, leaning against the railing. “Morning.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Fox said. “You okay? You look kind of pale.”

“I went to wake Grey, and he was having a nightmare,” Luke said, “he was…yelling for someone named Jory. Who is that?”

The color drained from Fox’s face. He turned, drinking his coffee, until he had regained some composure. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“So you’re going to lie, too?” Luke huffed.

Fox sighed. “Luke…”

“Does no one think I can handle the truth? You guys are always lying to me.”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Fox snapped. “Sometimes people have to lie.”

“That’s bull, but whatever,” Luke puffed. “Who is Jory?”

“Grey’s business, and I’m not talking about it again,” Fox said.

Luke turned, going inside just as Grey walked up and out of the hallway, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his monochrome hair a wet mess and his skin still flushed from a hot shower. When their eyes met, Luke saw a brokenness there, just for a moment, but he saw it, and he felt a heaviness on Grey’s shoulders. It was something Luke wasn’t used to see in his normally carefree, goofball of a boyfriend and Luke realized that this was something he should let go. 

“Feel better?” he asked as cheerfully as he could fake, “you were pretty sweaty.”

Grey eyed him for a moment, before smirking. “It was the wrong kind of sweaty.”

…

Raven picked his way carefully through newly fallen branches and limbs, around a fallen tree, and over ferns and grasses that were still flattened from the intensity of the previous night’s storm. His black wolf shape was quiet as it moved, almost ghost-like through the forest. The storm clouds had burned away and streams of golden light were piercing the broken canopy above him. He could hear the wildlife starting to creep out from their shelters. A small herd of does scented him and sprang away, white tails held up like flags.

He didn’t chase them, however. He was out just for a quick territory check. He moved deep into the trees, until he was muddy up to his knees and his fur was wet from brushing against low-lying shrubbery that was still heavy with pooled rain. He stopped to shake off his fur, stepping up onto a fallen tree, and the wind shifted—

The hair stood up on his back and his hackles raised. He knew that scent. He’d smelled it when he and Fox had dug up the vampire bodies, even when he had been approached by Jason in the magic shop: decay, mixed with the scent of wilted flowers. The scent of death. He growled, pulling back his muzzle to show his teeth.

There was a vampire around here. He lowered his nose to the log, sniffing until he found a trail to follow. If he could find the nest—maybe he could end this all right now.

He moved deeper still until he found the mouth of a cave, hidden by ferns and brush. The scent lead here, but it wasn’t much stronger, leading Raven to guess there was only one vampire.

Not a nest, but good enough.

He paced the cave’s mouth, debating on whether to howl for help. The others would certainly hear him, but so would the vampire. The wind was on his side, so the creature shouldn’t be able to smell him. If he could remain mostly quiet, he should be able to...

_Well, fuck it,_ Raven threw caution to the wind and slipped into the cave.

It was dark, dank, and flooded from rain water. He crept his way through the darkness, his werewolf eyes adjusting easily, like night-vision goggles only everything he saw was a shade of blue, grey and black. He walked through ankle-deep water until he could hear the water falling down into the cavern. He certainly was not going down some damn waterfall into a cavern. He huffed to himself and looked up—

Attached to the ceiling, like a bat, was what looked like a young man, but Raven knew better. The vampire had his claws sank deep into stone, fingers and naked toes, and was pressed against the cave ceiling. Raven flinched, backing up quickly, but when the vampire didn’t move, Raven was caught a bit off guard.

Was it…asleep? The movies always had vampires sleeping during the day, maybe this one was, too. He tried to remember when he had gone to Dark Moments, and yes, it must have been after sunset.

Raven looked around, trotting through the cave, but this was the only vampire.

How did he get him off the ceiling? He suddenly recalled a memory of Grey, trying to kill a large spider on the ceiling with a fly swatter, only to have it fall in his hair. That had been hilarious but—

Raven closed his eyes, focusing on the monster inside him. He reared up onto his hindlegs Changing from wolf to massive werewolf. Muscles swelled from beneath his skin, his paws changed to hands, his feet grew large and his legs longer, his head was larger, and his muzzle filled with bone-crushing teeth. The sound of his transformation wasn’t silent, it echoed through the cave, but the vampire didn’t so much as flinch. It seemed more like it was in a coma instead of asleep.

_How do I kill this?_ Raven thought back to Jason in the magic shop. The vampire had said he would provide Raven with information in exchange for blood. His blood. A shiver ran up Raven’s spine and he huffed, shaking out his heavy werewolf fur.

Absolutely not. He would just figure it out himself.

He circled beneath the vampire, large feet stomping in the water, before he decided to take a page from Grey’s book and just swat at it. His large werewolf hand, with claws larger than grizzly bear's, hit the vampire just beneath the arm. The creature was knocked to the ground with a splash and a surprised, loud hiss.

The vampire, dazed and obviously confused, thrashed around until it saw the werewolf.

The vampire’s eyes were red, not only the iris, but the white’s as well. It hissed, showing its fangs, as it’s face distorted somewhat, the skin greying and veins bulging; making it look more like a demon than a man. Not wanting to give it a chance to escape, Raven leaped forward, landing on its chest. He heard the sickening snap and crush of bones. The vampire gasped, and Raven lunged down, mouth open.

It took some effort to rip off the vampire’s head, and by the time Raven had done so, he was a bloody mess. It wasn’t his blood, thankfully, but he was still covered chin to stomach in it. He kicked the vampire’s body away as it started to spark and burn from the inside, sizzling in the water, making it steam, until flesh and bones were all ash.

Raven tilted his head. As a species, werewolves transformed back into their human skins at the time of death, a final defense mechanism to keep the species secret and safe. Vampires had apparently adapted something similar.

With a huff Raven sank back into his wolf fur and ran from the cave. Outside it was sunny and bright, the air humid and starting to thicken. He sniffed out the nearest body of water large enough to swim in, and leaped into it, washing the blood away.

…

“What the fuck happened to you?”

Grey stood up from where he had been sitting on the porch swing playing games on his phone, when the scent of old, stale blood caught his attention. When he stood he saw Raven in his wolf fur crossing the yard. He was wet, but he still smelled.

The wolf huffed and shook out his fur before Changing back. Raven wrinkled his nose in disgust as he pulled his long black hair back and tied it up and out of the way. He was still dirty and he smelled fucking awful. The scent seemed to be stuck to him.

“I found a vampire in a cave,” Raven explained.

Grey’s blue eyes went wide. “What?”

“Do I need to repeat it?” Raven grunted as he headed into the house, his destination the closest shower. Luke was sitting in the living room, playing video games with the dogs asleep at his feet, but when Raven walked by all three leaped to their feet.

The huskies ran for the door, whining in worry, ears flat and teeth showing. Grey let them out before turning back to the living room.

“Why does he smell like that?” Luke asked. He had his hands over his nose.

“He said he found a vampire,” Grey said. He walked down the hallway toward the bathroom. He opened the bathroom door. “So did you kill this vampire?” he asked.

Raven, in the shower and standing under hot water, sighed. “Grey, get out.”

“Just answer me.”

“Obviously I did.”

Grey slammed the door and turned to Luke, who was starting to stink with worry. They hadn’t talked much since the morning when Luke had confronted him about his nightmare. Grey stepped toward him, and when Luke didn’t move away, wrapped his arms around him.

“I guess they didn’t move out of the area, huh?” Luke asked.

Grey sighed. “I guess not.”

“Look, about earlier… I’m sorry,” Luke apologized, “I shouldn’t have tried to get you to tell me something that you clearly don’t want to talk about it.”

Grey pushed Luke away, hands on his shoulders, and smiled down at him. “Thanks, darling.” Outside the dogs were quiet and the rest of the house was empty, with Collin and Fox having gone into town. “Do you work tonight?”

“No,” Luke said. “Tomorrow, I think. Why?”

“I was just thinking we could mess around for a little while.”

Luke felt an excited shiver rush up his spine. He grinned. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, wanna make-out?”

“Hmm I don’t know.”

“Hush,” Grey laughed. He leaned down, kissing wetly at Luke’s neck. Luke gasped, leaning his head back and standing on his toes. Grey maneuvered them into his bedroom, kicking the door close behind him. They dropped onto the bed.

Grey smiled, trying to seem confident but in fact he felt nervous. It was a terribly awkward feeling, because he never felt nervous. Even his first threesome with Vandina and Verum had been his idea and he’d dived head-first into that situation, and it had lead to many other wonderful nights together, to the point that Fox had honestly been worried that Grey would leave the pack. He hadn’t been nervous either when he charmed a young bitch from a rival pack into bed with him, something he had done just to see if he could, and to see how much trouble he could stir up. And it had gotten him into a lot of trouble. Even though she had been two years older than himself, her father hadn’t liked that Grey had seduced his daughter and he’d ended up with a few broken ribs and fingers, but it had been worth it, and he’d do it again.

Or he would have done it again, if it hadn’t been for Luke. Because now all he wanted was the little blonde. Wanted him all to himself, he wouldn’t settle for less. There was no one better than Luke, no one who smelled sweeter or made his heart thump in a way that made him feel like a virgin all over again.

Luke shifted beneath him, blushing hotly as Grey settled between his legs. Luke caressed Grey’s cheek before pulling him down for a kiss. He pushed his tongue past Grey’s lips, kissing him deep, wetly, desperately. His heart was pounding, his breath was short and gasping. Grey made him feel things he had never felt in his life. Luke had never thought he could feel so hot, so needy, so desperate; if Grey’s hands weren't on him, he felt like he would die.

“Ah,” he gasped between kisses. Grey was much better at this than he was, knowing just how to kiss, how to swirl his tongue, how to nip and bite and touch. And where to touch. Grey’s hand slipped down between Luke’s legs, palming the bulge there. “Oh—”

Grey chuckled. “I think these pants are in the way.”

“I—I think so,” Luke agreed. He sat up, reaching for his belt, but Grey swatted his hands away. Luke watched, face burning red and eyes wide, as Grey slowly undid his belt and then pulled down the zipper of his jeans. Luke shifted just enough for his jeans to be tugged down. He curled his fingers into the bed sheets.

Grey pushed up Luke’s t-shirt and leaned down to bite at his stomach.

“That tickles!” Luke yelped as he tried to pull away.

Grey looked up, wickedness gleaming in his blue eyes. “Does it?”

“I mean—no,” Luke gulped. But it was too late, Grey tackled him, tickling him without mercy. Luke shrieked with laughter, collapsing on the bed in a fit. He tried to push Grey away, but the other boy was merciless. Luke tried to twist away, but he laughing so hard it made focusing nearly impossible. Only when he tried to pull away, and accidently lurched them both off the side of the bed, did Grey stop.

Grey sat up, laughing loudly. “Sorry, darling.”

“You liar,” Luke gasped. His mouth hurt from smiling and his face was wet with tears. He struggled out from under Grey and stood up, fixing his shirt and pulling up his pants.

Grey pouted. “What are you doing?”

“I think the moment is gone,” Luke said.

“Well, it was worth it,” Grey growled playfully as he stood. 

Luke looked at him. Grey’s eyes were bright and full of laughter, his lips were drawn into a large smile, and he had a dimple on his left cheek. His hair was messy from wrestling on the bed and Luke wanted to tangle his hands in it.

He exhaled. “Yeah, it was.”

Grey touched Luke’s chin, leaning in to kiss him, when his door opened.

“Grey!” Raven barked. 

“Hey man, we’re busy—”

“It’s your dogs.”

Grey tensed. When he tilted his head, he could hear them barking—no, they were snarling. He looked at Luke before running around him. He and Raven ran through the house to the door in the kitchen and out into the fenced in backyard. 

Or, it had been fenced in. He stopped for a moment and stared in shock. A large portion of the fence had been broken into and twisted away, and there was blood and fur smeared across it and on the ground. Dashi stood under the picnic table, her tail between her legs and her ears back. She was growling and whining and her eyes were huge with fear.

“The fuck—” Raven gasped.

“Shit, Dunri,” Grey cursed as he ran through the fence and into the woods. The grass was thick here and he saw no tracks, just the smear of blood. A loud squeal of pain nearly caused him to Change, and he felt his teeth sharpen and bite through his tongue and lips as he ran faster through the trees. He caught a scent and followed it.

Finally he saw Dunri lying at the base of a tree on his side. He was whining and gasping, his side rising and falling with each shuddering breath. There was blood smeared everywhere and large chunks of his fur had been pulled away by something with very sharp teeth. Grey crouched beside the Siberian husky, feeling tears in his eyes. He tried to take a moment to scent the air, but all he could smell was Dunri’s blood and fear.

He scooped the dog up into his arms. He backed up slowly, cradling the dog to his chest as his eyes scanned the trees. He didn’t see or smell anything, but he knew there were eyes on him from something somewhere. The forest was also eerily quiet. Not a bird or squirrel made a sound.

“Grey?” he heard Luke shouting from the house. “Grey!?”

He turned and ran from the forest and back across the yard. Luke stood in the yard near the house with a tight grip on Dashi’s collar. When the other dog saw Grey and Dunri, she yelped and yowled, trying to pull free from Luke, who had to almost sit on her to keep her by his side.

Raven jogged around the house, barefoot and just in a pair of jeans. His wet hair was tangled up in a messy bun. When he saw Grey with the dog he paused. 

“Oh shit, Grey,” Luke gasped. Grey was covered in Dunri’s blood, and the dog was lying limp in his arms. Grey carried him over to the picnic table and laid him down. 

“Lock her up in the laundry room, will you,” Grey said, trying to keep his voice calm. He stared down at his dog and tried to keep his head clear, “and grab the first aid kit.”

Luke hurried. He carried a yowling Dashi into the house and had to toss her into the laundry room and then grabbed the kit from the top of the basement stairs. He ran back outside where Grey was leaning over the dog, his hands pressed on the puncture marks on the dog’s neck. It looked like Dunri had been bitten by another dog.

But the scent surrounding the dog was something Raven suddenly recognized: he smelled like vampire. It was death and old flowers, but something else, something worse, like roadkill left in the sun too long; like maggots and cemetery soil, old bones and bile.

“Grey, this wasn’t any normal animal attack,” Raven said. 

“I know that—” Grey snarled. He watched as blood seeped through the dog’s fur. He felt like vomiting, or Changing, or sobbing—he didn’t know. He whined.

“I got it—” Luke said as he ran up. But when he saw the shape the dog was in, he realized it was pointless. He covered his mouth with his hands.

Raven turned suddenly, eyes on the treeline. “Do you see that?”

Luke looked up, brushing the tears from his eyes. He frowned. It looked like a dog—or a wolf, no it was neither. It was canine-like, but it wasn’t anything—alive. Luke backed up, shouting “Grey!” while Raven backed up as well.

“The fuck is that?”

“Run—” Raven shouted. “Run!”

The trio ran for the house as the beast rushed across the field toward them. Grey closed the door but the thing hit it with such force that it wood frame splinted. Grey backed up, fur covering skin, until he was a werewolf standing in their small kitchen. He snarled, roaring as the monster hit the door away.

Luke stood in the living room with Raven, who had Changed into a wolf the moment they entered the house. The monster hit the door a third time.

The black wolf moved to stand in front of Luke, his snarls echoing Grey's. In the laundry room Dashi was howling in a high, terrifed voice. Outside the door something was snarling, its voice gruttal and thick, a sound unlike anything Luke had ever heard before. 

Suddenly it was quiet. Luke stepped forward but the black wolf growled, instead herding Luke to the kitchen door. When Luke realized Raven wanted him to open the door, he quickly did so, daring a look outside. He saw nothing but it smelled fucking horrible outside.

Raven trotted out of the house and circled it, hackles high and teeth bared, but nothing was there. The monster was gone, the birds were singing, and Dunri was dead on the picnic table.

…

“What the hell happened here?” Fox asked as he pulled his car up the driveway to the house. He could see the fence was ripped open in one spot and stained red.

Collin sat up in surprise. “Another werewolf?”

“What werewolf rips through a fence?” Fox wondered. He parked near Raven’s pickup truck and slipped out of the car. He and Collin were crossing to the backyard when the front door opened and Luke stepped out of the house.

Luke was pale, his purple eyes somewhat wide. “Hey guys.”

“What happened?” Collin asked as he ran to his brother. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay but—but earlier something attacked the house and killed Dunri.”

“What do you mean something?” Fox asked. He didn’t wait for an answer and went into the house where Grey was sitting on the couch with Dashi in his lap, the husky bitch was shaking.

Raven was pacing the living room on the house phone.

“I want to talk to Jason, right now,” he barked.

Fox frowned. “Who’s Jason?”

Grey looked up. “I don’t know,” he said, “Raven said he met someone at some magic shop that might help us. But I didn’t get anymore information out of him.”

“Okay, what the hell happened?”

“Something attacked the house,” Grey said as he pointed to the broken side door. “It was big, and gross—like a giant hairless dog with too many teeth. It was like—like a hell hound from the movies or some shit. It killed Dunri. It just—ripped him apart.”

Fox swallowed hard. “Grey, I’m so sorry.”

Grey nodded, but turned his attention to Raven, who had hung up the house phone with a growl. “No luck?”

Raven turned around. Luke and Collin came into the house. For some reason having the entire pack’s sudden attention made him nervous. He shifted on his feet. “No.”

“Who were you calling?” Fox asked.

“His name is Jason,” Raven explained, “he’s…a vampire.”

The entire pack was quiet for a second, before everyone started talking at once. Raven tensed, listening as question after question as thrown at him. Finally Fox raised his voice above them all, “Everyone quiet!” he barked. “Raven, what the hell?”

“I was shopping in the city last night,” Raven started, “I was…looking for something to help Luke.”

Collin sat down on the couch with Grey and the dog. “The herbs and stuff, right? I saw the bag on the counter last night.”

Luke, momentarily distracted from the vampire talk, looked up. “How will that help me?”

“I’m working on a sedative,” Raven said, “something to help you through the nights of the Moon until the Change, which is impossible to stop, but I was hoping we could sedate the wolf enough so you aren’t suffering.”

Luke swallowed hard as warmth spread through him. “Raven…wow.”

“We can come back to this,” Fox interrupted. “Back to the vampire?”

“Jason is the owner of the shop, and he’s also a vampire,” Raven continued. “I talked with him somewhat.”

“What was he like?” Grey asked.

Raven thought for a moment. “Predatory. Dangerous.”

“Did you ask him if he’s the one doing the killing around here?” Fox asked.

“I asked if he knew about, and he didn’t know.”

“And you believed him?”

“Yes,” Raven said. “I didn’t think he had any reason to lie.”

“So why is he avoiding you now?” Fox demanded.

Raven sighed. “His assistant said that he’s sleeping, and there is no way to wake him before the sun sets. Going off the experience with the vampire I had today—”

“Wait—what?!” Collin and Fox shouted.

“He found a vampire in a cave,” Luke explained, “he killed it.”

“How?” Collin asked.

“I tore it’s head off,” Raven said.

Collin wrinkled his nose. “How did that go?”

“Do you remember that movie The Lost Boys?” Raven asked. “It was like that.”

“Gross.”

“So, is Jason going to call you once the sun sets?” Fox asked.

Raven shrugged. “It’s up to him, I guess. But I have a feeling that that…thing is somehow related to vampires. We need more information.”

Fox ran his hand through his hair, messing it up further. He looked over the couch at Dashi, who was curled up in Grey’s lap, her ears flat against her head and her eyes wide. He reached over, petting the dog along her neck and back. “I’m sorry, girl.”

“We buried Dunri just outside the fence,” Grey said. “I didn’t…want him just lying out in a ditch or something.”

Fox headed through the kitchen to the door leading to the backyard. “It seems like every time we fix shit in this house, something tries to break through it again.”

“At least it didn’t get in,” Raven pointed out.

Fox glanced back at the rest of his pack, all sitting on the couch. “If it comes back tonight—”

“I’ll stay awake,” Raven offered. 

Fox looked at him. “Are you sure?”

Raven nodded. “I need to stay up and wait for the vampire to call.” 

“That’s something I never thought any of us would say.”


	8. At the End of Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so awesome with your comments and your kudos <3
> 
> Also, you can follow me on tumblr (warning, its very nsfw) the link is below. Sometimes I post thoughts on upcoming chapters and I have a couple Howling tags with things that inspire me. 
> 
> Keep Howling! xoxo

When the phone rang it was well past midnight. Raven felt a twitch of irritation as he stood from his chair, which he had turned to face the large living room window, and walked to the cordless telephone on the wall. He answered with a growling, "Yes?"

"Manners, werewolf," tsked the familiar, velvet-smooth voice of the vampire.

Another twitch. Raven closed his eyes for a moment, gathering patience. "Why did it take so long to call back?"

"I had other business to attend to," the vampire explained, "all of it more important than you."

_Whatever._ "I need information--"

"I told you what my terms were--"

"No," Raven growled as his grip tightened on the phone, "the house was attacked during the day. By some...creature."

There was a moment of silence, then, "A hell hound."

Raven frowned as he paced the living room. "Excuse me?"

"Describe it to me."

Raven rubbed his palm against his forehead before pushing his long hair back behind his ear. "It was...like a dog, but it was hairless. It had too many teeth. Very strong and it...almost got into the house."

"Did you see any vampires with it?"

Raven tensed. "I didn't see any with it."

"But you did see a vampire?"

"Yes. I killed one earlier."

A moment of silence. Raven tilted his head. He could hear the shuffle of papers. What was the vampire doing? What kind of business did he actually run? Raven wondered if the magic business was a front for something darker. Something that focused on that freezer in his much-to-fancy office.

"Hell hounds are a vampire's daytime guardian," Jason continued finally. "You killed a vampire, the hell hound followed your scent to kill you, too. But the don't stray from their nests for long. That's the only reason why it gave up."

Guilt hit Raven like a punch to the gut. He reached for the nearest chair, which was one in the kitchen, and sat down hard. It was his fault Dunri was dead, then. It was his fault the hell hound found the house. But how could he have possibly known that? He knew nearly nothing of vampires, and absolutely nothing of these hell hounds. He glanced toward the hallway, where Grey's bedroom was.

"Raven?"

Raven started. "What?"

"Is everything alright? I asked you a question, but you didn't answer."

Raven rubbed his forehead again. "Can they get in the house?"

"The hell hounds? Yes."

"But vampires cannot?"

Jason hesitated. "Remember that offer, werewolf."

Raven growled. "You won't just help me?"

"Out of the goodness of my cold, dead heart? Absolutely not."

There was a sneer in his voice, a viciousness that made Raven shiver. He stood up and barked, "Forget it."

"Then this conversation is over."

Raven stormed to the wall receiver and hung up the phone. He wasn't going to play into the vampire's hands. There was no way he was going to that shop to offer his blood in exchange for information. He had learned enough for right now. His father had always told them that vampires couldn't enter a home without invitation. If that was true, then they were safe at night. It was during the day, when these hell hounds roamed, that they could be in danger.

But if the hounds didn't stray from the nest for long... maybe they wouldn't come back.

Raven shook his head. He needed to sleep. He needed a clear head. He took one final look out the window. The house's security lights were off, and down the driveway a deer carefully picked his way across gravel to the grass in the yard. He could hear the wind shifting gently through the trees, and the soft calls of an owl, the squeak of a bat.

The forest was alive and everything was calm. They should be safe until dawn.

...

Luke woke to the alarm on his phone beeping annoyingly. He sat up slowly, because he was trapped under Grey's arm, and struggled to figure out which side of the bed he was on and where exactly his phone was. As he reached for his phone Grey groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over his head.

His phone was flashing a message at him: WORK THIS MORNING!

Luke sighed. _That's right._ He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed only to have his feet come in contact with something warm and soft. He looked down and saw that Dashi was lying on the floor next to the bed. He smiled sadly and reached down to rub her belly. "Hi honey."

The dog sighed and rolled over, tucking her head under her tail.

Luke stepped around her and went to his closet, grabbing his work clothes and then crossing the hallway to the upstairs bathroom. After using the toilet he brushed his teeth, styled his hair to the best of his abilities, and then dressed. He headed downstairs where the smell of coffee greeted him and soft conversation over the sound of the radio.

"You're up early," Collin said from where he was leaning back against the kitchen counter. His pajama top was unbuttoned and his hair a bit messier than usual, making Luke wonder if he just interrupted something.

_Nothing new._

"I have to work," he said as he gestured to his clothing. "Obviously."

"Obviously," Collin echoed. He was drinking a cup of coffee that was more white than black. "I can drive you in. Do you want to get breakfast on the way in?"

"You just want to hit Starbucks."

"Shut it. Breakfast or not?"

"Yes to breakfast."

"I'm going to go dress then," Collin said as he headed for the stairs.

Fox, who had been quiet, was sitting at the table with his dark coffee and a plate of bacon and Eggos.

"So did um, Raven get ahold of that vampire?" Luke asked.

"I haven't seen him this morning," Fox said.

"Oh." Luke tapped his foot to the music on the radio and fidgeted with his hands. It was too quiet, even with the music. He was used to the dogs howling and barking, scratching at the door, but now it was just silent.

Luke headed outside and was leaning against the Fox’s car when Collin came out, dressed with his hair braided. They tore out of the driveway at the breakneck speed that once made Luke a little green, but he was used to it now. They stopped for a quick breakfast and fancy coffee before parking in the Boulder's parking lot.

"I should be done at like, three or something," Luke said as he finished his coffee.

"Moonbeam called last night, before we got home, asking us to perform tonight."

"Are you going to?"

Collin shifted. "Yeah. We weren't going to, but it's the back-to-school bash. And we haven't been keeping up this summer at all. I hope I remember how to sing."

"You could never sing."

Collin smirked and shoved Luke's shoulder. "You're so funny."

Luke stuck his tongue out. "I think I can find my way to the club if you didn't want to pick me up then."

Collin smiled at his younger brother. "You're going to walk to Moonbeam?"

"Sure? Why not?"

"It's just, not that long ago, you were scared to even set foot in that place."

Luke's lips twisted into a little smile. "Well, I guess that was before werewolves and vampires."

"I guess so," Collin mused. "I guess it puts life into some perspective. But, and I'm not trying to sound just too cryptic here, remember that as scary as we are, as scary as the wolf inside you is, and the vampires, and those... devil dogs you guys saw, the most dangerous creature on this planet are humans."

"That is cryptic, thanks," Luke huffed, "I'm going to go into a store now full of humans."

Collin chuckled as he sipped his coffee. "Call me later."

"Bye."

He worked later than scheduled, but he had time to make up for, the store was busy, and school was starting much too soon and he would be cutting his hours due to school hours. 

Normally school would be the most anxiety-triggering thing he could think of. This year however it was the thought of moving back to the suburbs with Dan and Mary. 

Luke felt his stomach turn and queasiness rush over him. Moving back to the house in The Burns was not something he wanted to do. He didn't want to leave Grey, and even with the looming threat of vampires and demon dogs, he didn't want to leave the pack house.

Anxiety started to creep up through him and he knew he had to do something to take his mind off it. He checked his wallet for cash and his phone for text messages before punching out and leaving work. Boulder's Grocery Store was in a strange cul de sac and involved crossing four lanes of traffic to get back onto the main road that would take him into the city. He thought about taking the bus, but changed his mind when he passed the line of people at the bus stop.

Nope, he'd dealt with people long enough for today. Right now he wanted some alone time. So he put in his earbuds and turned up the music on his phone. He had to check the GPS on his phone a couple of times, but he was going in the right direction. The weather that day was nice and calm; not too hot with lots of cloud cover. He kicked at a pebble, humming with the music, when he smelled something. Something delicious.

Cinnamon. Coffee. Bread.

He turned his head and saw, across the street, a shop with a bright sign hanging over the door reading "Bagel Me Happy." Unable to resist the lure of fresh bread and coffee, Luke crossed the street and stepped into the small bakery. The shop wasn't large, there weren't too many places to sit and all the chairs were taken. At the counter men and women in aprons waited on customers while restocking baskets with different breads, bags of rolls and boxes of muffins. The glass display in front was filled with wicker baskets of bagels, pastries, doughnuts, scones and giant muffins. There was a large listing for hot drinks and after a quick glance, Luke knew that his brother would love this place.

_Oh well, I get it all to myself,_ Luke thought smugly as he took his place in line. It gave him time to study the chalkboards behind the counter so when he reached the register, he had repeated his order in his head again and again so he wouldn't mess it up.

"Welcome to Bagel Me Happy, what can I get you?" asked the cheery young man in an apron covered in flour.

"A cherry vanilla bagel, and caramel latte, please," Luke said.

"Oh, sorry! We just ran out of those bagels! Can you pick a different one?"

Luke swallowed. He had rehearsed his order so many times that he hadn't paid attention to what his back-up plan would be! He looked at the list of bagels, his heart racing as his palms started to sweat. He had no idea, so he blurted out-- "Cinnamon chip?"

"Sure thing, we got that."

Luke exhaled and reached for his wallet, laying out the exact amount on the counter while the man bagged his bagel, along with plastic silverware and Luke's choice of cream cheese, and made his drink.

Feeling the need for fresh air and space, Luke headed outside. Around the corner there was a cast iron bench in the shade of a building, surrounded by large clay pots filled with blooming white and pink flowers. Seeing no one else around Luke took a seat.

Luke stretched out his legs, crossing his ankles, and set the bag on the bench next to him as he pulled out the little cup of cream cheese and tore it open.

He was just going to turn the music up on his phone when he heard the soft clip of claws on the sidewalk. Luke turned and saw that there was a dog standing alone on the sidewalk. A mangy, sad excuse for a dog at that. It was a definitely a mutt, because it was colored like a malamute but built like a wolf. The legs were longer, ears bigger and snout long and narrow. In fact, had it not been for the black and white coloring and blue eyes Luke may have mistaken it for a wolf.

The dog’s fur was dirty, and it was much too thin. The dog was missing patches of hair and there was dried blood on one of the ears. Luke’s chest tightened and he glanced at the bagel in his hand. 

He sighed. “Hey boy,” he called softly.

The dog lifted his head, spotting Luke amongst the flowers. The dog’s tail, which had been curled up over it’s back, dropped and quickly tucked between its legs.

Luke tore a chunk out of his bagel. “Here, boy,” he called softly and tossed it to the dog, who jumped in surprise.

_Doesn’t anyone feed him?_ Luke wondered sadly. “It’s for you.”

The dog sniffed the bread before eating it. Then the dog looked at Luke with an intelligence that startled him. When it didn't run off, but also didn't approach, Luke tore the rest of his bagels to pieces and tossed them, one a time, to the stray. With each throw he shortened the distance, slowing luring the dog closer and closer to himself. Luke wondered if the stray would get along with Dashi. Luke knew it was a little morbid to replace Dunri already, but if this dog needed a home and if Dashi needed a friend...

"Okay, once piece left," Luke said softly, holding out his hand, the last chunk of bread in his palm. The dog, less than five feet away now, flicked it's large ears and tilted its head. "Come on...come here boy, it's okay."

The dog crept forward slowly, ears flicking and tail wagging slowly and uncertainly. The dog sniffed at him, getting just close enough for Luke to pet--when it yelped and backed up, stumbling.

Luke stood in surprise, which spooked the dog, causing it to run off. Luke stared at his hand, wondering just what he had done, when he remembered the obvious. Werewolf. He was a werewolf, and not all animals liked werewolves. He left the last chunk of bagel on the bench, for the dog if it returned, and started walking again after checking his phone's GPS for directions.

Sure, not that long ago walking through the streets of Pineview City, specifically the more grungy, run-down district where concert venue Moonbeam was located, would have scared him. And sure, he couldn't become a wolf on his own, and he still didn't seem to have the super-strength the other boys could muster up, but he just didn't find other people to be scary anymore. Not after everything he had gone through. They were just people. No one bothered him or tried to talk to him, because to them, he was just a person, too. Just a teenager wearing work clothes and listening to music on his phone.

He walked around the building to the backdoor of the venue. His eyes scanned the parking lot, which was crammed with cars and trailers, until he saw Fox and Grey’s cars. He had to identify himself as Collin's brother to the security guard at the door before he was allowed inside. He had just made his way to the hallway that would take him out into the hall when the sound of Fox's singing reached his ears.

...

The only thing Collin hated about Moonbeam was the restroom. He didn't know about the state of the women's restroom, but the men's restroom was... well, a toilet. It smelled and it was dirty and half the time the stalls were occupied for reasons other than relief. He finished his business and went to wash his hands, glancing at his reflection in the dirty, cracked mirror as he did.

It had been a good show. A good send-off for the start of the school year. Being up on stage, singing, playing guitar, moving with Fox... It wasn't a secret that they were together, Collin was out as gay, Fox as bi, and they had been together for years. So when they danced together on stage, it wasn't a surprise anymore. And being up there tonight reminded Collin just how much he missed performing, and how little time they had devoted to music this entire summer.

Fuck, was the summer really over? Was this really happening? He sighed, drying his hands and took a moment to shake his hair out of the complicated braid he had struggled with for far too long. Honestly, it hadn’t been worth it in the end.

He was about to pull his hair back in a ponytail when the hair-tie snapped from his fingers and straight into the face of a young man walking into the bathroom.

"Shit, sorry man," Collin yelped.

"Uh, no problem," the man said as he looked around for the hair-tie which had fallen to the filthy floor. "Not like you did it on purpose."

"No," Collin agreed. He tilted his head. The man had a purple mohawk, was wearing a more eyeliner than he was, and was wearing a ripped t-shirt with a skull on the front. "Aren't you the lead singer for We Scream At Night?"

"Yeah man," he said with a grin, "I'm Alejandro."

"Collin."

"Yeah, I saw you up there with Howl, you have quite the voice."

There was a change in the man's voice, the way he smelled, the way he stood. Collin's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh, um, thanks."

"Maybe I could... get your number? If we ever need a sub I could give you a call?"

Collin felt his face warm. "Oh um... well... I'm in a relationship."

"So?" Alejandro asked with a coy smile. He stepped toward Collin.

Collin didn't step back, however. He just smiled. "I have a boyfriend. And your band is good, but it's not my type. So if you'll excuse me." He stepped past the man and out the door of the restroom into the hallway, crowded and smoky and filled with teenagers, young adults, and loud screaming music.

He chuckled to himself as he walked. "That doesn't happen everyday."

"What doesn't?"

Collin turned to Luke, who had magically appeared next to time. "Did I say that out loud?"

"No, I can read minds."

"Oh yeah, what am I thinking now?"

"That I'm full of shit."

"Huh, you're good," Collin laughed. They moved through the crowd, staying shoulder-to-shoulder. "No, some guy just hit on me in the bathroom. Alejandro? He sings for--"

"Oh! I saw that band earlier! They were pretty awesome. Wait--he hit on you? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Collin said. They were approaching the table where the rest of the pack was sitting. "I told him I had a boyfriend and left."

Fox turned in his chair. He frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Collin said easily. He took the empty seat next to Fox while Luke walked around to sit between Grey and Raven. "I hope you saved me some fries."

Fox pushed the basket full of French fries to him. "I'm not so cruel that I would eat them all myself."

"Hm," Collin hummed. "I seem to remember a time--"

"Hey, hey," Fox interrupted, "I think I need a refill." He grabbed his glass and stood up, heading toward the bar.

Collin smirked. He looked across the table. Raven was ignoring everyone, eating onion rings and reading a book, while Grey was pushing his face into Luke's neck, kissing and trying to bite him. Collin arched an eyebrow. _Huh, this must be how Luke feels when he walks in on me and Fox._

"Get a room, guys," he said.

Luke laughed. "How's it feel to be in the uncomfortable chair?"

Raven looked up. "The uncomfortable chair?"

"You know what I mean!"

Grey chuckled. "Actually, I was thinking of heading home. Want to ride with me?"

Luke looked at Grey in surprise. "We usually have to drag you out of here. You okay?"

"I'm just tired," Grey admitted. "So?"

"Yeah, I'll go with you, of course," Luke chirped as he stood, just as Raven did. He recalled not seeing Raven's truck outside.

"You aren't coming with," Grey grunted, "you wouldn't let me listen to any music on the way in."

"I said you could listen to music, just not that shit you consider music."

"I said no."

Raven stepped around him, grabbing his guitar case and heading for the exit. Grey shrugged, taking Luke's hand.

"See you at home," Collin called to the two.

"Don't stay out too late."

"Yes, dad."

Grey and Luke worked their way to the exit, and sure enough, Raven was already at Grey's black Grand Prix, leaning against the back door. Grey smirked. "I could just not unlock the door. What are you gonna do then?"

"Rip off the door," Raven sneered.

Grey wrinkled his nose. "Whatever." He unlocked the car and trio got in. With Raven in the backseat Grey turned up the music, and prodded Luke into singing very badly along with him.

"You know, if you tried, you could actually sing really nice," Luke pointed out.

"Where's the fun in that?" Grey asked.

It was late when they reached home and Luke was feeling sleepy. They drove up the long, dark, quiet lane to the house. But when they parked in the gravel, the headlights of the car shined on the broken fence and beyond in the yard, where there was a big hole.

"The fuck..." Grey growled. He parked the car and got out with a rumble. Grey stomped through the grass, eyes on the hole in the yard. The ground around it was deeply disturbed by claw marks and dried, dirty blood. The scent of decay and death was fading but-- "It's not enough that they killed my dog, but they had to fucking dig him up?"

Luke frowned, standing beside Grey. "Did...they dig him up?"

"What do you mean? Look at the hole! His body is gone."

"But I mean..." Luke stepped toward the empty grave. "Did they? Because it looks like..."

"Like what?" Grey asked. He frowned before looking where Luke was. "Like... my dog is a zombie?"

Raven tensed. He looked around, to the forest. The nightlife was active, the wind was clean. What did this mean? Was Dunri a hell hound now? Was he a zombie? Or was Luke wrong, and the dog was actually dug up instead? But what would be the reasoning for that? He reached for his back pocket where his cell phone was. He knew what he needed to do, but he wasn't willing. There was no way in hell he was going to offer himself up buffet style to that vampire.

Thinking about Jason, the ruby-red of his eyes, the sharp cut of his fangs, and his lightly accent voice made Raven shiver.

Luke turned, looking at the tall boy. "Hey? You okay?"

Raven frowned at him. "What?"

Luke tilted his head, his purple eyes bright in the darkness around them. "I asked if you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Luke licked his lips. He stared at Raven with an intensity that made Raven shifted uneasily. Finally Luke shrugged and turned to Grey, tugging on his sleeve. "We need to fill this hole, Grey, or someone will fall in it. Probably you."

Grey sighed, raking his hands through his messy hair. "Right. Yeah. I'll grab a few shovels. Raven--" he turned around but Raven was already gone. He growled. "Typical."

...

"Luke?"

"No."

"Okay, listen up, we got room in this family for one drama queen, and it's me," Collin said from where he stood in the doorway to Luke's bedroom in the Howl house with his hands planted firmly on his hips. "Grab your shit and let's go."

Luke pouted. They were moving back to The Burns today, back to the suburbs with Dan and Mary, back to a human life, and tomorrow back to school. Luke reached down, grabbing the last bag of clothes. He stood and turned to his brother, who gave him a comforting smile. "The moon is soon," he reminded him.

"I know," Collin said. A worried sickness turned in his stomach. Once upon a time the full moon gave him butterflies, gave him energy and something to look forward to. But now. "Hopefully by then Raven will have some sedative concocted for you."

Luke sighed. He scrubbed his hand over his face. "This is stupid."

"I know," Collin agreed as he slung his arm around Luke's shoulders and dragged him out of the room. "Let's go."

They walked out of the house to Fox's car, which was filled with most of their belongings. "How are we getting to school if you don't have a car yet?" Luke asked.

"Grey and Fox offered to pick us up until I fix that," Collin said. He and Dan had gone back and forth on him getting a new car. He had paid for most of his old red hunk-of-junk, had paid for insurance and every trip it took to the shop for tires, oil changes and whatever else it needed. He wasn't going to get screwed out of getting a new car because Dan was on a power-trip. "I'll get one soon enough."

"Maybe they'll buy me a car," Luke suggested.

"Dream on, little brother," Collin sighed. He went to the passenger side of the car, slipping into the seat and watching as Luke went to say good-bye to Grey. They shared a long, lingering kiss, until Fox honked the horn of the car.

It was a quiet drive to the suburbs. Luke frowned as he leaned his head against the window. Everything looked the same here. Same old trees, cars, people in the yards or on the front porches of their homes. Dogs were barking and birds perching on telephone wires. There were kids playing basketball in driveways and football in the street. Luke didn't want to be here, he didn't want to around these people. They weren't the same as himself. They were human, and he was a monster.

His phone sang and he pulled it from his pocket. It was a text from Grey.

**Grey (6:57pm): _Miss you._**

**_Luke (6:58pm): Miss you more. <3_ **

"Just drop us off at the driveway," Collin instructed Fox. "Don't come up to the house with us."

Fox steered the car around a corner, approaching the house. "Why not?"

"This situation is going to be tense enough," Collin explained. 

Fox nodded. He had wanted to talk Collin out of this, he didn't want to lose him, but he knew that his was what had to happen. There was no fighting this, not without causing a larger fight that would threaten to expose the pack. "Okay.”

Collin took a deep breath. His heart was drumming in his chest. “And it’s only for four-days of the week… we’ll be staying every Friday through Sunday. And times in-between.”

“Like the moon,” Luke said from the backseat.

Fox looked at Luke’s reflection in the rear-view mirror. “Yeah, the moon. We’ll have to figure something out.”

“I just need a car,” Collin grumbled.

“Maybe if you had gotten a job during the summer you’d have a car by now--”

“Shut up, Luke.”

“Just saying.”

“Well, then buy your own car with your acquired millions,” taunted Collin.

“I mean, sure I could, but I um, won’t.”

Fox laughed. “We’re here, guys.”

“Fuck my life,” Collin grumbled under his breath. 

There were two cars parked in the driveway of the house when Fox pulled up and parked. Collin leaned over to kiss Fox before motioning to Luke to get out of the car. They grabbed the bags from the back seat and then headed up to the door.

Collin exchanged looks with Luke, took a deep breath, and opened the front door.

"Hello?" he called.

There were footsteps from the kitchen. Mary strode out to greet them with Dan just behind her. She looked different, Collin thought. The last time he had seen her she has looked carefree and relaxed, but now her mouth was pulled tight and her posture was stiff and tense. He frowned, glancing past her to Dan, who was smirking smugly at them.

"I hope you boys enjoyed your summer of freedom because we'll not have that shit in this house," he said.

Collin tensed and narrowed his eyes. "That a fact?"

Luke glanced at his brother. "Hey--"

"That's right," Dan snapped. "And as for that car? Forget it. You can take the bus."

Collin scowled. "Then you owe me about five-thousand bucks."

"You think so?"

"Yeah--"

"Hey--" Luke cut in again. Collin had been lecturing him for days on not causing a scene or being too dramatic but they had literally just stepped in the door and things were back to how they were before moving out. "Let's just go up to our rooms."

“Let me help you Luke,” Mary said as she stepped up, taking one of his bags. 

They headed upstairs together, Collin breaking off for his old bedroom as Luke went to his own. They were pretty much the same from the last time they were here, just a little dusty. Luke looked around before dropping his bags on his bed.

“Thanks,” he said to Mary as she handed him his bag.

“It’s good to have you boys back,” she said.

Luke looked at her. “Um, are you okay?”

Mary frowned. Her hair was shorter than last time he saw her, and curled in heavy waves. She wasn’t wearing any make-up and had showered, he could smell the fresh soap. Mary was dressed casually for the night, comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. “I can’t be happy to see you?”

Luke’s mouth twisted. He sat down on the bed. “No--” he blurted out. “No--I just. You’re a little different. Is everything okay?”

“Oh,” she said with a nod. “Things have been a bit tense.”

“Dan’s sober?” Luke questioned.

Mary’s cheeks colored. “What?”

“He didn’t smell like alcohol, so I figured--” Luke stopped talking. Dan had always been mean, but when he was sober it was always the worst. 

“We’ve been working through all that, Luke,” Mary explained. She shrugged. “Therapy, AA, stuff like that. It’s been a little tense with you boys moving back. And Collin…”

“Collin is a handful but you knew that,” Luke said with a frown, “why even have us back?”

She tensed. “Because you belong here.”

He knew that was a lie. It had be something else. “Well, thanks for helping. I’d better unpack.”

Mary nodded. “Did you boys already eat?”

“Yup.”

She left, not closing the door behind her. Luke was tempted to search the room for cameras or bugs. It was weird, that paranoid feeling of being watched or lorded over, something he never felt in the Howl house, even when the other guys were arguing or Grey was occasionally being bullied because he was the omega of the pack.

Luke frowned sadly. Who was going to protect Grey from Raven’s teeth now that he was gone? He didn’t like the way Grey was treated when they were in their wolf-fur. Pack status or not, it wasn’t right to bully him just because instinct told them too.

_Maybe if I was a real werewolf I would understand,_ Luke thought gloomily. He caught his reflection in a mirror on the wall. He stepped up to it, staring at himself. His fluffy blond hair that needed cut, his tanned skin and freckles that always popped out in the summer, and his purple eyes.

Purple, not gold. He could feel something inside him, something horrible and furious, getting ready to break-out. The wolf inside him was strong, and certainly not stupid. Would it know where they were living now? Could it feel the heartbeats of the hundreds of people living in the suburbs around them? And when the moon was close, would it target them?

“Looking for zits?”

Luke turned around in surprise. Collin was standing in the doorway. “No. Just looking.”

“Collin! Where is the rest of your stuff?” Dan barked from the other bedroom.

“I burned it all out of protest,” Collin shouted back.

“Still fighting?” Luke asked, already feeling exhausted.

“For the next year,” Collin sighed.

…

In the morning the three members of the pack still living at the Howl house woke to Dashi standing at the front door howling. Grey darted from his bedroom in his boxers, hair ruffled and eyes still half-asleep. It was four-in-the-morning and he’d been up until three, tossing and turning, unable to relax or sleep or stop anxiety from creeping through him. Now it was less than an hour until his alarm went off so he could get ready for school, and the dog was howling at the door.

“Dashi, girl, what?” he sighed. He looked through the front door’s window but the yard was dark.

The husky whined, squaring her ears, and howled again. She went so far as to scratch at the door. With a sigh Grey opened the front door, knowing the dog would run off and he’d have to catch her, but she if--

The smell of death hit him hard. Grey stepped back in surprise as Dashi turned with a yelp, running back through the house. Grey covered his nose with his hand and stepped outside.

“What’s going on?”

Grey turned to Raven as he stepped outside. “Smells like something dead.”

“Brilliant deduction, detective,” Raven sighed sarcastically.

Grey frowned. “Hey, you asked--”

“Let’s go,” Raven insisted as he stepped past Grey. He started to Change, fur rushing over his skin and bones breaking. He landed in the grass a wolf, shaking his fur as the rush of the transformation rushed through him. His limbs tingled and there was a pleasant ache in his belly. Grey had once described Changing as a brutal orgasm, painful and tense, until the explosive release at the end that lead to an euphoric moment. Raven wagged his tail.

A gray wolf stepped up to him. Grey shook out his heavier coat and stretched out his limbs, whining as he did. When he was ready he nodded to Raven and the two started to run.

The two wolves crossed the yard and followed the scent of death to the highway beyond their lane. They crossed through trees and brush until they were walking up a steep bank to the road. There, on the other side of the road, was a dead animal.

_Is that a deer?_ Grey wondered.

_Maybe once,_ Raven said. They crossed the road quickly because there was morning traffic. A couple cars slowed down and flashed their lights, several honked, but they all continued to drive-by. Raven knew that being out in the open like this was risky, but it was still dark and the cars were driving fast.

The deer was ripped open at the belly and the body cavity completely cleaned out. Raven flattened his ears in surprise. Whatever did this ate all the internal organs, and nothing else. Blood was smeared and splattered on the road and in the grass along the gravel shoulder.

_We know that smell,_ Grey said from where he stood nearby. _It’s those… vampire dogs._

_Hell hounds,_ Raven corrected with a flick of his ears. He nipped at Grey as he passed by him, stepping up to the corpse. His intention had been to push it into the ditch so it wouldn’t draw any attention from the people driving by, when the sound of of sirens caught his attention. He yipped to Grey and the two ran back across the highway and down the bank and into the treeline. Soon after four police cars and an ambulance raced by at full speed.

Grey tensed, hackles raising. _The campgrounds!?_

_Not again…_ Raven darted back into the trees, cutting through the forest to the campgrounds inside pack territory. However when they reached it, it was quiet. Campers were still in their tents for the night, the fires were out, and everything was calm. Raven flattened his ears.

_Maybe there was just an accident on the highway?_ Grey wondered.

Raven huffed, lowering his head to the ground and sniffing. The black wolf prowled around, searching out any scents of death or vampires or hell hounds, but all he smelled was humans and dogs. They moved through the grounds, picking their way carefully around tents and campers and cars until they were on the other side. The two wolves headed through the trees, listening for sirens.

_Nothing,_ Grey whined. He shook out his fur and looked up to the sky through the trees. The blackness was fading, the stars blinking out, and the sun was starting to rise in the east. He dug his paws into the ground. _The sun is coming up, Raven._

_Fox is howling,_ Raven said with a start as he raised his head. He tilted his head, the sound of a howl cutting through the trees to reach them. He brushed by Grey, bumping shoulders with him, and broke into a run back to the house. 

It was Fox’s human voice howling, Grey could tell by the pitch and the lack of strength behind it. When they reached the house the sun was peaking through the trees and the sky was growing bright. Fox was standing in the yard with Dashi sitting at his side and a cup of coffee in his hand.

When he saw the two wolves emerge from the trees he frowned. “What are you guys doing?” He had to wait until the two were completely Changed back for an answer. Dashi danced at his feet before Grey was completely human and ran to him, whining and wagging her tail.

“We smelled something dead, went to check it out,” Grey explained breathlessly. He was feeling tired and very low on energy. He needed to eat and most of all more sleep. Unfortunately it was time for school. 

He groaned. “Did you make breakfast?”

“No,” Fox said. “Why were you guys chasing after dead things?”

“It smelled like hell hound,” Raven answered.

“It?”

“A deer,” Grey filled in.

Fox frowned. “And they ate it?”

“Just it’s guts,” Grey said. He herded the dog into the house and went to start a quick breakfast as his stomach rumbled hungrily.

“We saw cop cars and an ambulance, too,” Raven added, “I thought they were going to the campgrounds but there was nothing there.”

“Maybe just a highway accident,” Fox suggested.

“That’s what Grey said but…” Raven frowned. “I don’t--”

“Guys!” Grey called from the house.

They ran inside and to the living room where Grey stood, turning up the volume on the television. There was a live report broadcasting. The news anchor, an attractive woman with blue eyes and curled blond hair, was starting her live report.

“I’m Karen White with PVC Channel 3 and I’m here just outside Pineview City on Highway 30 where police are reporting to a early morning homicide. From what we can see from here,” she gestured to the barricade of police cars, ambulances and a fire truck, “there seems to be at least three cars involved. They were parked in this open field, which has been known as a gathering place for parties. My sources tell me that it appears at least four people are dead. I’m not being given any other details right now.”

“Vampires,” Fox growled. “It has to be. It’s too close to where you said you smelled the hounds.”

“Raven, have you talked to that vampire yet?” Grey asked.

Raven tensed. “Not since the night your dog died.”

“We need to figure out a way to stop this,” Fox said. “Raven--”

“No,” he snapped loudly, startling the two other boys. “I won’t call him again.”

Fox stared at the other boy, who was suddenly tense. “I wasn’t going to make you, Raven,” he said gently. “Is everything okay? Did something happen?”

“No,” he said. He turned away suddenly. “We’re going to be late for school.”

Grey glanced worriedly to Fox as Raven slammed his bedroom door.


	9. Lost Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm using up all my creativity for the rest of the year but that's okay :) Keep howling! xoxo

Luke sat in his Allegra 2 class with a fever. They were only a full-week into the new school year and the full moon was already tomorrow. By some cosmic blessing the moon was on a Friday night, so after school tomorrow he would retreat to the Howl house in the woods, his destination a cage in the basement that would keep the monster inside him from hurting anyone but himself.

With a trembling breath Luke reached for the water bottle on the floor next to his feet. He was sweating through his t-shirt, but if he removed his red hoodie then he would just get a chill. It was easier to just sweat than constantly remove clothing only to pull it back on.

His phone, hidden under his open textbook, vibrated. He pulled out just enough to read.

**Grey (2:53pm): _How you doing, darling?_**

Luke sighed and raked his fingers through his sweaty hair. He glanced at his teacher, who was seated at her desk grading papers. They had had a pop quiz at the start of class, which Luke was sure he flunked, and now they were supposed to be working on their assignments. Luke liked this teacher, she believed in doing what would normally be homework in class, so students would have the opportunity to ask for help with problems.

He wasn’t in the mood to work on the assignment in front of him, however. His paper was covered in sloppy handwriting and too-many eraser marks. 

**Luke (2:55pm): _Sucky._**

**Grey (2:55pm): _:( Hang in there._**

Unfortunately he would be going back to The Burns tonight, not the pack house. He had been feeling off all week, and knew it was because of the upcoming moon. However it wasn’t just fever and sweating and trembling this time, it was mood swings, especially around Dan. Luke had been walking a fine-wire and felt that soon it was going to snap.

“Luke, off your phone or I’ll confiscate it,” called the teacher from her desk.

“Sorry--” he apologized as he hastily shoved his phone in his pocket. He turned back to the paper in front of him. 

For the rest of the class he struggled with the assignment, and by the end he simply tucked it into his textbook to finish at home. Collin wasn’t the best at math, but Grey was, so his plan was to call him and have help.

When the bell rang Luke grabbed his bookbag and filed out the door and into the hallway. The sound of talking voiced melted together into one low sound, like the ocean, with the occasional break of loud laughter. He shuffled to his locker, found what he needed, and headed for the closest exit.

It was September, but the weather hadn’t changed all that much from August. It was still hot, but the mugginess was mostly gone from the air, making it easier to breathe. The trees were starting to turn; green turning to orange, brown, and rust. Overhead the sharp call of geese caught his attention and Luke looked up, watching as dozens migrated for the upcoming winter.

“Hey!”

Luke turned as Grey jogged up to him. The other teenager dropped his arm around Luke’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Hey,” he answered softly.

“How are you feeling?” Grey asked as he steered Luke through the throngs of people on the sidewalk and the student parking lot beyond. They were walking toward Grey’s car. 

“Bad,” Luke said. “Not so much pain… just hot and tired and irritable. Did Raven finish that sedative he was working on?”

Grey sighed. “He said he doesn’t want to try anything before tomorrow night.”

Luke whined. “Why not?”

“He wouldn’t give me a straight answer,” Grey admitted. When they reached the black Grand Prix he unlocked the doors, threw his backpack in the backseat, and slid into the driver’s seat. Luke dropped into the passenger seat with a miserable sound.

“Where’s Collin?” Luke asked.

“Oh, he said he’s riding with Fox tonight,” Grey said. “Raven drove himself. So I got you all to myself,” he tried to give Luke a coy smile, hoping to cheer the boy up or at least coax a smile out of him, but Luke only blinked at him.

“If I felt better I’d give you an actual reaction. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Grey said as he leaned over, pressing his lips against Luke’s cheek. The boy was really hot, only it wasn’t his physical appearance Grey noticed. He pressed his palm to Luke’s sweaty forehead. “Have you been this way all day?”

“Since about second period,” Luke said. “I mean, I felt bad all d-day and all last night and I d-didn’t sleep or eat but I just started feeling hot just...well, since then.”

Grey listened to Luke ramble. “You didn’t eat?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Darling, you have to eat. I know you feel bad, but your body is preparing for a Change, and you need to be ready for it. I know you feel sick, but it’ll be worse if you go through tomorrow on empty,” Grey said. 

Luke leaned back in the seat. “I know. Collin lectured me last night.”

“So? Let’s get something on the way back to your house. Anything sound good?”

Luke thought as they pulled out of the parking lot and into the flood of traffic leaving the high school. He reached for Grey’s hand, linking their fingers together. Almost immediately he felt better. He leaned against Grey’s shoulder.

“Luke?”

“I feel better when I’m with you,” Luke whispered. 

A ping of pain hit Grey’s chest. If Luke still lived at the pack house they could be spooning every night and all the time in-between. “Maybe I’ll sneak in tonight,” he said. “Stay with you.”

Ordinarily Luke would have been against the idea, but tonight he was going to be selfish. “Please,” he said. 

“Then I will,” Grey said. He knew he could scale the side of the house just outside Luke’s window. There was a large tree there and he could easily get to the window from there. “What time?”

“Curfew is nine,” Luke said. “They always check on Collin, because he’s never there, but they never check on me, because I have no life and never do anything.”

“Oh, darling,” Grey laughed.

“It’s okay,” Luke said, laughing softly. “I’m okay with that.”

“So, nine-thirty then?” Grey asked. He hadn’t received an answer from Luke about a good place to eat, so he picked Howard’s, a 1980’s themed diner that was on the way to The Burns. He pulled into the parking lot, where only a few cars were parked. It was too early for the evening rush, so they would have the place mostly to themselves.

“Hey,” Luke suddenly laughed, “it’s Fox’s car.”

Grey sat forward to look. “Ha, it is. Let’s go join them.”

“Okay,” Luke said. 

They walked up to the diner together, Grey dropping his arm around Luke again to hold him close. Inside the diner it was all 80’s retro, with pastel coloring and bright lights, oldies music over the speakers and booths along the wall and a bar up front. He spotted Collin and Fox in a booth near the back and steered Luke toward them.

“Mind if we join you guys?” he asked.

Collin, who had been sitting across from Fox, turned around. “Stalking us?”

“Might be,” Grey said.

Collin’s eyes swept over Luke, who smelled like fever and wolf. He stood, going to sit next to Fox so the two could sit in the booth together. “How are you feeling?”

Luke shrugged. He leaned against Grey. “A little better, now.”

“They take your order yet?” Grey asked as he twisted, looking for a waitress.

“Not yet,” Fox said. He slid his menu to Grey and Luke to share.

“No salads, Luke,” Grey said. “You need protein.”

Collin frowned. “Did you not eat again?” At Luke’s shrug, Collin pursed his lips. “We talked about this last night. I know you feel sick but--”

“I know, I know,” Luke interrupted. He huffed. “It’s just hard to eat when you want to be sick, okay? But I’ll eat now. Here, how about this, prime rib?”

“You hate prime rib,” Collin said. 

“Well, I do, but--okay here, the bacon cheeseburger is pound of beef and like, four strips of bacon. Is that enough protein for me?” he knew he sounded like an irritated brat, but that’s just how he felt at the moment. “It’s got enough calories to feed a family of four.”

Collin glared at his brother. “Stop being a brat and just order the damn burger.”

“I’m not a brat, you are,” Luke snapped back. “Always acting like my mother--”

“Guys,” Fox interrupted. “Maybe--”

“I feel like shit, okay?” Luke loudly interrupted Fox, “and I just want to die. So stop telling me what I should be eating and how much I should be sleeping because you know what? There’s a monster in me and it wants to kill everyone so just--”

“Luke!” Grey hissed. There was no one sitting around them to hear, but that didn’t mean there weren’t people listening. He put his arm around the boy and pulled him close. “Calm down.”

Luke stared down at his trembling hands. For a moment his eyes blurred with tears and he hastily brushed them away. He wanted to cry, right there, but he refused. He swallowed hard, choking up. Grey’s arm around was warm and comforting, and he turned, pressing his face into his boyfriend’s neck. Luke let Grey’s scent roll over him, into him; he smelled like wolf and pine trees, candy and big, open blue skies. 

Finally he sat back. “I’m sorry.”

Collin shook his head. “No, Luke…”

“You boys ready to order?” chimed the voice of the waitress as she stepped up to their table. She was wearing an obnoxiously pink top and candy-striped apron, which clashed with her dark skin and black hair. 

Actually, Fox didn’t think anyone would look good in such colors. He made a mental note to leave her a large tip for having to wear such a horrible work uniform.

“Yup, we are,” Fox said. They took turns rattling off their orders, which were all pretty the same; cheeseburgers and fries, with a side order of onion rings for them all to share, with milkshakes all around and a pitcher of water. 

“Be out in a few, babes!” the waitress chimed cheerfully.

“Luke,” Collin said when they were alone again, “I know it’s hard right now, okay? You can always talk to me, right?”

“I would, but you’re never there,” Luke grumbled.

Fox’s eyebrows went up before he blushed. Yeah, Collin was sneaking out almost nightly to spend it with him. He felt guilty, but also selfish. Collin was his mate and he wanted him all to himself. Now they weren’t in the same house together he felt even more possessive.

“Then I’ll just have to stay home more often,” Collin answered easily.

Fox frowned. “What?”

Collin glanced at his boyfriend. “What? You’ll survive without me.”

Fox drummed his fingers on the table top. 

Collin turned to him. “Stop pouting. It’s not like your balls will actually turn blue and drop off.”

“Um,” Luke choked loudly, “if I can’t talk about killing people, then you can’t talk about _that.”_

“It would be fun to see though,” Grey sneered.

“It really wouldn’t,” Luke disagreed. 

“Maybe,” Collin said with a smirk.

Fox sighed. “So let’s talk about something else.”

Luke leaned against Grey. He took a deep, trembling breath. Everything was starting to hurt. His insides felt like they were cramping and tearing, like there really was a physical wolf inside him trying to dig its way out through it’s bones, guts, and flesh. He squeezed his hands together, digging his nails into the skin of hands, when Grey’s hand covered his own.

“It’s okay, darling,” he whispered warmly. “I’ll be with you all night. And tomorrow night.”

Luke shook his head. “No. I want you guys to go out like normal. Howl, hunt, whatever.”

“I don’t like leaving you when you’re--”

“But I’m not me,” Luke argued. He looked at Grey sternly. “Remember? I’m just a wolf.”

Grey touched Luke’s face. “Yeah, but I love that wolf just as much as I love you.”

“That’s stupid,” Luke gasped. “You’re so stupid.”

Grey smiled brightly, his blue eyes twinkling. “I know. Stupid in love with you.”

…

“And here I thought I’d never see you again.”

Raven glanced irritably at Emma. “Did you get what I asked for?”

Emma’s lips curved into a smile. “Of course I did. Have you used valerian before?”

“Obviously not, or I wouldn’t have needed you to order it,” Raven said. He didn’t like standing in the magic shop, Dark Moments, but he had needed something else for the sedative he had been working on for Luke. Used correctly valerian root could be used as a sedative, to help with sleeping, even with anxiety and depression. He just hoped that a strong enough dose would be able to calm a raging werewolf.

He glanced behind him and outside the window. The sun was still up.

“He’s asleep,” Emma said. “You know… you don’t have to be so scared of him.”

Raven turned to the witch with a start. “I’m not.”

“I can’t smell your fear, Raven, but I can see it in your eyes.”

Raven growled. “He wants my blood.”

“He’s a vampire,” Emma said with a shrug. She adjusted the sequin blazer she was wearing over a black blouse, slacks and purple heels. “They all want blood. But should you really act so high-and-mighty? Werewolves crave blood and death as much as any vampire. You aren’t that different.”

Raven’s frown deepened. “Don’t act like--”

“I’m not trying to pick a fight with you,” Emma quickly interrupted. “I’m just saying… you can come here after dark. Jason won’t attack you. He’d probably be more than happy to help you.”

“And why would he do that?”

“Because he’s a good person.”

Raven barked a laugh. “Sure he is. So tell me what’s in that refrigerator?”

Emma smirked. “What do you think is in it?”

He glanced past her to the hallway that lead to the office. He had a pretty good idea of what was in the giant walk-in refrigerator. “Is my order ready?”

“Have you figured out the dosage for a werewolf yet?” Emma asked as she rang up the order and told Raven what the total was. “I could help you.”

“At what cost?” he asked.

“No cost,” Emma said softly.

Raven smirked. “No one does anything out of the goodness of their hearts, Emma.”

“You are,” she pointed out. “Whoever you’re trying to help. You obviously care about them.”

“It’s not the same,” Raven retorted. “What I’m doing… it’s what has to be done. For the safety of the pack.”

Emma shook her head. She handed Raven his change and the bag as she stepped around the counter toward him. The werewolf took a step back, eyeing the witch skeptically.

“If this was just about pack safety you would simply kill this person,” she pointed out.

Raven frowned. How did this witch know so much about werewolf culture? Or was it a lucky guess? He took the bag and stepped back again. The sun was setting. He needed to get out of here. “I would never do that.”

Emma sighed. “Just remember, Raven, my offer comes with no strings attached. No payment expected, no blood sacrifice, nothing. I want to help you, just because I do.”

Raven didn’t answer her. Just stared at her, because he didn’t understand her motives, before turning and leaving the store for his truck. Outside the air was warm and smelled thickly of humans, congested traffic, and the restaurant on the street corner that smelled like Thai food.

Tomorrow was the start of the three-day full moon cycle. For the first two days every werewolf around would be compelled to Change. There was no stopping or fighting it. For most werewolves the full moon was treated as a celebration. A burst of energy, a chance to hunt with pack members and mates who had yet mastered the transformation via free will. But to those new to the curse, or who didn’t even know they had been cursed, the next couple days would be a nightmare. And while the urge to Change wasn’t as strong on the third day, it was still there. And people like Luke would continue to suffer.

All Raven could do was pray his concoction would do some good for Luke over the next couple days. There was no way to test it, because the results wouldn’t be the same on them as it would Luke’s feral wolf. He just hoped it helped. It had to do something. They _had_ to come up with some solution to this.

Emma had been right, had this been another pack, a pack without such strong ties, Luke would have simply been killed. He was a liability to the pack and to werewolves in general. He was dangerous and unpredictable and unstoppable. That’s why when Willow had visited he had been unable to talk to her about any of this, even though she would have been his greatest help, being the healer of her pack. No, he had do this on his own, with only books and the internet to help him. Too bad WebMD didn’t have a lycanthrope category.

Why would there be? To the human world none of them even existed.

Raven started the truck and pulled into traffic, his destination home.

…

**Luke (1:15pm): _I need to go._**

Collin looked at his phone. He was sitting in his Chemistry class, listening to the teacher drone on about the importances of lab safety. He looked at the time and then text back.

**Collin (1:16pm): _You need to leave school?_**

**Luke (1:16pm): _Yes. Now._**

Collin pursed his lips. He was sitting in the back of the class near the door, which was open. His teacher had turned his back to the class as he wrote on the chalkboard. Collin reached down under his desk, grabbing his backpack, and then quickly left the classroom.

**Collin (1:18pm): _Okay. Meet me out by Fox’s car._**

He tried to remember which class Fox was in. He sent him a quick text, explaining that he and Luke were leaving and he needed Fox’s car keys. 

**Fox (1:20pm): _Meet me by the second floor restroom._**

Collin darted quickly through the empty halls to the second floor, getting there just as Fox did.

“Can you catch a ride with Grey or Raven?” Collin asked.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with?” Fox asked as he handed Collin his car keys.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Collin said. His chest felt tight and his heart pounded nervously in his chest. “Do you have any idea about the thing Raven was working on?”

“No, and he doesn’t keep his phone turned on, and I don’t know where he is right now,” Fox said.

Collin tugged nervously on his braided hair. “I’m just going to get him out to the house,” Collin said, “once we’re there we’ll just… do what we can. But I can’t keep him waiting.”

“Okay,” Fox said as he leaned in to give Collin a quick kiss, “text me.”

“Right.” Collin turned, running through the hallways to the nearest exit. He ran across school grounds to the parking lot, where we saw Luke sitting on the ground, his back car tire. He had his knees pulled to his chest and his head was down. But Collin could see the wetness in the boy’s hair, the sweat on his skin, and could smell the fever and sickness.

“Hey,” Collin spoke softly as he knelt down. “Luke?”

Luke looked up. His eyes were blood-shot and his nose bleeding. The front of shirt was wet with sweat and the blood from his nose. “Hey,” he whimpered.

“Come on, baby, let’s get home,” Collin gently said as he pulled Luke to his feet. Luke laid down in the backseat, curling up and whining in pain, which made Collin’s heart beat at a frantic pace. He peeled out of the parking lot and away from the school.

“It’s a long drive,” Collin reminded the boy in the back, “you doing okay?”

“I’m n-not,” Luke whimpered, “but th-that’s okay. Just go. I won’t puke, promise.”

_It’s not okay,_ Collin thought to himself, _none of this is okay._

When they reached the Howl house Collin helped Luke to the couch in the living room. Dashi followed him through the house as he went up to their bedrooms and found a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He gave them to Luke to change into, along with a towel to soak up the blood from his nose. 

“Here,” he said handing Luke a bottle of painkillers, “take a handful.”

“Is that safe?” Luke asked tiredly.

“It won’t hurt you any,” Collin promised. “I’ll get you an ice pack for that fever.”

After swallowing more painkillers than he thought was safe, Luke settled back on the couch. Collin gave him an ice bagpack wrapped in a towel and he pressed it against his head, which had started to pound. 

“They aren’t helping,” he complained.

“You literally just took them,” Collin said. He sat down on the couch and let Luke drape his legs over his lap. Collin could feel the muscles in Luke’s legs twitch and cramp, so he gently started to massage them. “Just give it time. And the pack will be home soon enough.”

Luke sighed. “Remember to lock me up right away… or it’ll get out again.”

“That won’t happen,” Collin promised. “We’ll have you down there in time.”

Luke lowered the towel from his nose, which was soaked with blood now. Other than last night, when Grey stayed over, Luke hadn’t been getting very much sleep. A couple nights he had crawled into bed with Collin, and while that did stop his nightmares, it didn’t help him actually sleep. He was feeling exhausted now, but he knew if he closed his eyes all he would see were nightmares.

Collin patted Luke’s leg. “You okay?”

He looked up, his lavender eyes glassy with fever. “No but…”

“Yeah,” Collin sighed, “I know.”

The rest of the pack arrived home a couple hours later. By this time Luke was curled up on the floor behind the couch, covered with blankets with a wastebasket next to him and Dashi stretched out next to him. 

Grey went straight to Luke, dropping down behind him and wrapping the boy up in his arms. Grey could feel the moon singing through his veins even though sunset wasn’t for another couple hours. He pressed his lips against the back of Luke’s neck, tasting the sweat there.

“You okay, darling?”

“My eyes keep changing colors,” Luke mumbled miserably. “And I keep puking up blood.”

Grey winced. “Maybe Raven can give you that sedative he’s been working on?”

Raven looked over the back of the couch where the two were lying. “I want to wait.”

“Wait? Why?” Collin snapped loudly from the kitchen. “He’s been suffering for hours.”

Raven pushed his hand through his long hair. “I want to wait until--”

“Until what? He’s screaming?” Collin growled as he stalked up to the other boy.

Fox grabbed Collin’s arm. “Calm down--”

“I didn’t mean that,” Raven growled back, standing his ground. “I meant that it might be best to use it when the wolf is closer to the surface.”

“Let’s step outside,” Fox urged, tugging on Collin’s arm. “Get some fresh air? Come on Dashi.”

The husky stood and stretched before she followed the two boys outside. Raven walked around the couch and looked down at Luke, who was shaking and sniffling. Pain swelled in his chest and Raven glanced toward his bedroom. He knew that administering the serum now would probably knock Luke out, but he had no idea how long it would last, and it would be better if he stunned Luke’s wolf, instead of him.

Luke chose to take a freezing cold bath while the pack had supper before the full moon. He sat shivering in the water with ice cubes floating around him, watching as blood dripped into the water from where he had bitten his lip. 

He raised one arm out of the water and watched as muscles twitched beneath the skin. He flexed his fingers as a low growl echoed through his head and watched, terrified, as his nails curled into claws. Gold fur sprouted from his skin, spread up his arm. He felt pain spark up and down his spine, and his head started to pound--

“Luke?”

Luke woke with a start, sitting up in the water. He blinked, looking around, before his eyes landed on Grey, standing next to the tub, holding the shower curtain open. “Wh-what?” he stammered. Luke looked at his arms and his hands and felt around to his spine.

Grey frowned. “You okay?”

“It was… just a nightmare,” Luke sighed heavily. There was still pain up and down his spine, and every limb, but he wasn’t Changing yet. He could feel a heaviness inside him, like he had swallowed a rock. There was pain against his ribs, and sharp pains shredding his insides. He grunted at the pain and pulled his knees to his chest. And the voice in his head, which wasn’t really a voice with words, more like a feeling, a presence there, something horrible.

“Maybe it’s time for that sedative... “ Grey murmured. “Want to go ask Raven?”

Luke looked up, as he did his eyes flickered gold. But when he spoke, they were lavender again. “I can hear it,” he mumbled, “m-maybe we should go to the cage?”

“Sedative first,” Grey said. He grabbed a large bath towel and held it up. Slowly Luke stood and stepped from the bathtub and Grey wrapped him up. Seeing Luke’s legs shake he carefully scooped the boy up in his arms. Even though they had been forcing Luke to eat lately, he still felt light in his arms. Grey carefully navigated them down the stairs to the couch in the living room.

“Hey Raven,” Grey called. “Can we try that sedative now?”

Raven stepped out of his bedroom. There was less than an hour to the moon now, he could feel the countdown ticking his head. He looked at Luke, the way his eyes flickered and the way his muscles would twitch under his skin.

“Yeah,” he said. “I think now is a good time to try it.”

Grey sat with Luke until Raven came back with a large syringe and a vial of an off-white liquid. “What’s exactly in that?” he asked.

“Just about everything,” Raven said. He filled the syringe. 

“A n-needle?” Luke asked.

“I think this way will be fastest,” Raven said. He went to Luke, taking his arm, and pressed the needle against his upper arm. He injected the serum, watching Luke’s face as he did.

Luke wrinkled his nose. “I d-don’t feel any different…” he said. “It all still hurts.”

“Give it a second,” Grey suggested.

Collin stood with Fox in the kitchen. He watched as slowly some of Luke’s color returned. “Luke?”

Luke sniffled. “It’s quiet.”

“What?” Fox asked.

“In my head,” Luke explained. “The-the wolf is quiet. The pain is still here but-but the wolf…”

Raven’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry--”

“No,” Luke said with a painful smile, “the pain isn’t so bad, as long as the wolf is quiet.”

“I think it’s time to move downstairs,” Fox suggested.

“I agree,” Luke said. “Even if-if it’s sedated, we can’t risk waiting.”

Once Luke was settled in the cage, wrapped in a towel, the rest of the pack sat down outside of it. Luke still collapsed in pain, trembling and convulsing, his eyes and nose bleeding, his skin flushing with fever and his limbs cramping, but there was no voice in his head begging to get out to kill. When he closed his eyes he wasn’t assaulted with memories of being tortured by the hunters, or by being torn to pieces by other werewolves, it was just dark. The only sound was his own wheezing and his heart pounding. 

“It’s coming,” Collin gasped suddenly. “Luke, in the morning, we’ll be here for you.”

“G-go,” Luke cried softly.

The Change hit them all at once. Collin closed his eyes, surrendering to the transformation from boy to wolf. He focused on the rush and the beat of his heart and not the screams of his brother. When the transformation was complete he stood up and stared at the wolf on the other side of the cage.

The gold eyes of the gold wolf stared back at him, but the wolf seemed… off.

_Is he stoned?_ Grey wondered as he stepped up to the gold wolf. It bared its teeth and shifted on its paws, but it wasn’t savagely attacking the bars like last time.

_Sedated,_ Raven corrected. The gold wolf looked at him hatefully, but it’s movements were sluggish and heavy. It drooled and growled, as it stumbled around the cage.

_How long will it last?_ Fox wondered. He watched as Collin approached the cage. The gold wolf growled and Collin growled back, flattening his ears.

_Probably not long,_ Raven said with a shrug, _but it’s a start._

_We should go,_ Fox suggested. He herded Grey and Collin to the stairs and they followed Raven up out of the basement and through the front door which they had propped open. 

The night was cloudy and there was no moon shining down on them. The fireflies they had chased all summer were gone for the season, replaced by the chirp of crickets and the occasional song from a cicada. 

Fox trotted across the yard. He stopped, throwing his head back and howling. The rest of the pack answered him with a song that was their own, that then blended together into one voice. He huffed, shaking out his fur and trotted over to the white wolf, rubbing against him.

_Let’s go hunting,_ he suggested.

_I don’t want to leave the house,_ Collin argued.

_We won’t be far,_ the alpha promised. _Let’s go._

Collin huffed, digging his paws into the grass, but he followed the others into the trees. There was no guiding light from the full moon to follow tonight, but they didn’t need it to navigate this forest. They went to the Ridge first, stopping to howl, their voices echoing through the Valley below. Collin flicked his ears, looking at the dark shadows around them and the starless sky above. 

Fox trotted around to Collin, pushing against him. They could smell a herd of deer nearby. Raven had already moved through the trees and into shadow to track them. The pack broke apart but still moved as a unit, singling out one of the animals to hunt. Collin tensed, ready for the mark to start the hunt, when a howl, carried on the wind, startled the animals.

The white wolf stood up straight, his tail drooping between his legs and his ears squaring. It was the song of the wolf inside Luke. He turned around, facing the direction of the house. He was ready to start home when Fox blocked his way.

_We aren’t going back until dawn,_ he ordered.

Collin growled, hackles rising. _I’m going back._

_There’s nothing we can do!_ Fox snarled as he showed his teeth. _We aren’t going to sit there and wallow in sadness and waste this time. We’re going to stay out here and hunt._

Collin did not want to hunt. He didn’t care if it ruined his night. He was going back to the house. He went to walk around the alpha only to have Fox block him. He tried to go the other way, but Fox blocked him again. Collin perked his ears and snarled, showing all his teeth.

The grey and black wolves stood nearby, watching as the two alpha wolves squared off. Grey could hear the howling distantly on the wind, but more-so he could feel the pull in his chest to go back to Luke. While they weren’t mated yet, Grey knew that they were meant to be together forever. He turned around. Someone should be there, and he knew it had to be him.

_Stay out here,_ he called as he started to run, _I need to be there with him._ He didn’t care if it would ruin his night, if he wouldn’t get his chance to hunt and run and howl, this was where he was meant to be. 

Fox howled to draw him back, and Grey felt the alpha’s energy in his fur and on his skin, like a hand urging him to turn around and go back. It was hard to resist, because he was the omega; the weakest of the pack, the punching bag, the one to lower their tail first and always show their belly.

But not tonight. Grey ignored his alpha’s influence and ran home to his mate.


	10. Hell Hounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to blame a writer's block on my lack of activity but it's probably just me.
> 
> All of you leaving kudos are so so so amazing and every time I received an email that there was a new one, it inspired me to come back and work on this. Or just read it over. Or just stare at it. But HEY. Here we go. Also, you can get updates from me on my Tumblr and Twitter. Keep Howling! Love you all xoxo

Luke lay in the grass, staring up at the stars. The full moon was fat and bright, shining down and covering the yard in silverlight. He could feel it seeping into his pores. It was such a strange sensation. Closing his eyes he would swear that he was actually being touched by gentle hands, massaging away all his aches and pains, while filling his chest with brightness and warmth. Was this what all werewolves felt when moon-bathing? Did they all feel so bright and warm and content? Only he was sure that they always felt this way, and weren’t dealing with waves of cramps, nausea, and a howling voice inside their head of a monster wanting to escape.

It was the final night of the full moon and while the pull wasn’t as strong as it was the first two nights, it was still there, and the wolf inside of Luke knew it. He could feel it prowling inside him, pressing against his bones, trying to break through his skin. He swallowed hard, pressing his hand to his forehead.

“Raven said he’ll make more of that serum for next month,” Grey said as he dropped down in the grass next to Luke. The rest of the pack was out enjoying the moon, but Grey had again refused to join them and instead stayed behind with his mate.

It had taken the rest of the serum to sedate Luke’s wolf last night. Luke remembered Raven giving him a dose before the Change, but then Luke had blacked out, and the wolf inside him struggled to keep awake. It had given him horrible nightmares, and he had woken just before the moon, screaming that he was drowning.

It was actually the wolf inside him, worked into a panic at the idea of being sedated. Raven had given Luke the rest of the sedative, and again he blacked out. Collin told him that after the Change his wolf had whined and drooled, stumbling around the cage until the sedative started to wear off. Then it had attacked the bars, over and over, until the wolf had broken many of its teeth, claws, and even skinned off some of the fur on its head.

Luke rubbed his stomach, which was starting to hurt again. “Yeah but… is it worth it?”

Grey stretched out on his back. “Why wouldn’t it be? Didn’t it help?”

“The first night, sure. But the second…” Luke swallowed hard as he remembered how it had felt to be drowning. He was sure that it was the wolf who had been drowning in the sedative. “The wolf was so upset. You told me all about it in the cage. Am I better off being doped up? Or not?”

Grey exhaled loudly. It had been a rough couple of days. After Friday night’s moon Fox had cornered Grey, yelling at him for ignoring his orders. Grey didn’t care. For the first time in his life as the omega in the pack, Grey didn’t feel like backing down, because he felt that he had done the right thing. He would never abandon Luke during the full moon again.

“How are you feeling right now?” he asked.

Luke sighed. He rolled over into Grey’s arms, which closed around him. “Everything hurts. The wolf is angry. I keep trying to talk to it, but it won’t listen to me. It just wants...blood.”

“I don’t suppose it would settle for a bloody steak?” Grey asked with a little smile.

“Doubtful,” Luke chuckled softly. “But you...make me feel better.”

Grey pressed his lips to the top of Luke’s head. “Well, I’m not leaving, darling.”

Luke was just getting settled against Grey, his pain fading as the wolf inside him took a break from torturing him, when his cell phone rang. Luke flinched. “Oh shit.”

“It’s Sunday night,” Grey groaned.

Luke reached for the phone. When he saw it was Mary he slowly sat up. “Hey,” he answered.

“You’re past curfew, Luke,” Mary snapped.

“I-I know,” Luke apologized quickly. “We’re um, just finishing up here. Collin is… jogging.”

“Jogging? What?”

Luke hesitated. “Yeah. He uh, he jogs.”

There was an exasperated sigh on the other side of the phone. “I want you home, right now.”

Luke slowly pushed to his feet. “Yup, yup. Right. Okay.”

“Luke…”

“Yup! Yup, bye.” He hung up and looked at Grey, who was sitting in the grass. “We have to go… can you like, call Collin?”

Grey smiled as he stood. “I need to teach you to howl someday.”

“Um, no,” Luke said with a blush. He watched Grey as he cupped his hands to his mouth and tilted his head back. With a deep breath he let out a long, low howl that if Luke didn’t know better, would say came straight from an actual wolf. 

Before Grey’s howl was done the others were already answering. Luke turned to the house, walking slowly toward it. He had a cramp in his calf and his back hurt. He tried to twist to pop it, but the pain continued to throb. It was just the wolf, letting him know that it was still there.

In the house Luke pet Dashi, giving her a kiss on her nose and telling her good-bye, and grabbed his backpack and his hoodie. Collin and Fox were in the yard, back in their human skin, when he walked back outside.

“Mary called,” Luke explained, “she said we broke curfew.”

“Huh, that’s like, fourteen days in a row for me,” Collin hummed as he headed for the house.

“You should be proud.”

“I’ll drive you,” Fox volunteered. 

“It’s pretty late already,” Collin said as he came back from the house with his backpack and shoes. “You could sneak in and stay the night.”

“Not afraid we’ll get caught?” Fox asked with a smirk.

“It won’t be the worst thing they’ve caught me doing.”

Luke turned to Grey. The pain was coming back, as if the wolf knew he was going to be separated from the grey wolf. He just hoped that Mary took one look at his flushed, fevered face and left him alone for the rest of the night. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he sighed miserably.

Grey pulled Luke into his arms and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call you later. Try to relax… maybe think about kittens and rabbits?”

“The wolf wants to kill those kittens and rabbits.”

“Then think about me?”

Luke smiled. “I can do that.”

…

Grey finished his homework, even though he didn’t want to. He called Luke, making small talk when he wasn’t talking the boy through his homework. Fox and Collin were still out, and Grey could hear Luke’s father yelling about responsibility and growing up.

“He really needs to chill the fuck out,” Grey chuckled.

Luke sighed into the phone. “This is chill.”

“I’m sorry, darling.”

“It’s okay,” Luke said softly. “At least he isn’t yelling at me.”

“How are you feeling?” Grey asked.

“I don’t know,” Luke admitted. “I mean, really shitty, but I can tell that the moon’s influence over the wolf is starting to wane. It’s getting better. Maybe I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” Normally he would crawl into bed with Collin, being near his brother had always been a comfort, but not with Fox staying over. He wrinkled his nose.

“You’ll be okay,” Grey said warmly, “I love you, darling.”

“I love you, too,” Luke sighed happily. “I wish I was with you.”

“I wish you were, too.”

They talked until after midnight, when Grey could tell by Luke’s slurred words that he was getting tired. After telling him goodnight Grey went to use the bathroom one more time before going to bed.

Dashi was waiting for him outside the door when he finished his business however, wanting to be let out one more time for the night. Grey couldn’t really deny her that, he had just taken a piss after all. They walked through the house together to the kitchen door. When he opened the door Dashi growled roughly and darted across the yard to the newly constructed fence. 

“Dashi? What is it, girl?” he asked worriedly as he stepped barefoot out into the yard. It was a perfect night: big open sky with a scattering of stars and a fat full moon that sang to him; a soft breeze and wet grass from a little rain shower that had happened an hour ago. It was cool for once, with touch of humidity in the air. But there wasn’t a owl hooting, bat squeaking, or bugs chirping; it was dead and silent and the air had a stink to it.

The hair on the back of Grey’s neck started to stand and fear prickled down his spine. He walked through the yard, eyes on the trees beyond the fence. There was nothing there. 

But Grey knew that something was there, he just couldn’t see it. He growled as his skin shivered, on the edge of Changing. Was it hell hounds? Was it vampires?

He was reaching for Dashi, his objective to pick her up and put her in the house, when the husky backed up, threw her head back, and howled.

A horrible sound answered from the trees. Grey watched as a mostly hairless dog walked from the trees. There were still patches of black and white fur that hadn’t fallen from its red, gnarled skin. The dog’s face was completely hairless, with its jaw hanging open, showing rows of new teeth and a long, drooling tongue.

“Dunri…” Pain filled Grey’s chest. The dog’s eyes were yellow and glazed over, with tear tracks carved down it’s face. The hell hound stopped and threw its head back to howl.

Dashi whined loudly. “That’s not him anymore, girl,” he said. He looked back to the house. They needed to get inside, and he needed Raven. Where the fuck was Raven? He growled, closing his hands into fists. 

_I need to Change, and quickly,_ he told himself as he struggled for focus. But instead of focusing on the wolf inside him, he only saw the horrible face of his dead dog. And then Dashi--who was leaping the fence.

“No!” he shouted as he ran after her, leaping the fence as well. The hell hound reared back before charging forward. Grey was unable to stop the two dogs from locking jaws. Dashi’s pained cries filled the air as the hell hound tore through her jaw and into her throat.

“Goddamn it!” Grey cried as he slid to a stop. Blood sprayed across the grass and into flowers and weeds. Grey let the monster inside him rise up, and his skin started to grow fur.

The hell hound turned, its attention on the teenager on the edge of transforming into a werewolf. With a speed that Grey hadn’t expected the dog ran at him, forcing Grey to retreat instead of transforming.

The one big issue with transforming from boy to wolf was that it took time. Collin and Raven made it look easy, flawless, even beautiful in a horrible, bloody kind of way, but it still took him minutes and not seconds. Precious time that he couldn’t afford to risk with a monster rushing at him.

Grey turned and ran, his destination the front door the house, when the hound ran around him, cutting him off. The ground was wet from the rain and Grey slipped, his feet sliding out from under him as he went down. The hell hound tackled him with a snarl, spraying his face with blood and drool.

Grey threw his arm up to protect his face as the hound lunged at him. Teeth sank into his forearm and Grey screamed. He had barely been a teenager when a werewolf bit him, and since then he’d been bit by other werewolves lots of times, in his wolf and werewolf furs. He’d been in fist fights, hell he’d been hit with baseball bats and once taken down by a very angry alpha wolf who had beaten him to a pulp. He’d been shot multiple times as a werewolf. He and Fox had had their fights, too. One time he even fell down a bank when hiking and suffered from road-rash on his back, legs and hands.

But this was worse than all this moments put together. Burning pain sparked from the puncture marks from the hell hound’s teeth. The infection spread through his arm and his hand, the pain burning and sizzling.

With strength found through pure desperation, Grey kicked the hell hound off him and scrambled to his feet. He looked at the bite mark, which was bleeding heavily and already starting to swell. Pain built and built, until it felt like he was on fire. Grey wanted to cut his arm off.

“Grey!?” 

The hell hound turned away from Grey, it’s focus on Raven as he ran from the house, his long hair wet and his clothes sloppily pulled on; like Grey he was barefoot.

“Don’t let it bite you!” Grey cried out, his voice shaking. “Just run!”

Raven wasn’t about to run. He growled, flexing his hands and growing his nails into long claws. The hell hound lunged at him and Raven braced himself for the impact while hitting the hound away from him, using his claws to rip out one of its eyes.

“Get in the truck, Grey!” Raven shouted as the hell hound rolled away from him, snarling. Grey was covered in blood, his arm was hanging loosely at his side and was looking swollen, bloody, and starting to change colors. They needed to get out of here--they needed help.

Unfortunately there was only one place Raven could think of to get it. As Grey ran for the truck Raven turned to fend off the hell hound. It’s steps were disjointed and off balance from losing an eye. Raven used this to his advantage, dancing around the creature and using his claws to defend himself whenever it lunged at him.

Then he heard his truck start. He always left the keys in the ignition; who was going to come all the way out here to steal his piece of shit vehicle? He turned, running for the truck after throwing the hell hound a few yards away into the grass.

“Grey, what the fuck?” Raven snapped as he jumped into the truck. Grey was curled up in the passenger seat, his face white as a sheet and clutching his arm to his chest. The truck smelled like infection, sickness and rotten blood.

“It’s Dunri,” Grey gasped. “He killed Dashi--and bit--me--” His voice was high with pain as he struggled to breathe. He was shaking and his heart pounding. The bite hadn’t stopped bleeding, it was swelling up and burning; the color of his flesh around the puncture marks was dark red while the rest of him was pasty white.

Raven frowned, turning his attention to Dunri, just as the hell hound rammed the driver’s side door, making the truck rock. With a curse Raven threw the truck into reverse and floored it. The hell hound followed them, illuminated in the darkness by the truck’s headlights. In the bright light the creature seemed even more hideous. 

“Grey, you need to stop that infection from spreading,” Raven barked as he navigated the truck down the driveway and to the road. He turned the truck around and hit the gas again. “Use your belt!”

Grey struggled to take his belt off with with one hand. He lurched back and forth with the movements of the truck as they barreled down the dirt road for the highway that would take them to the interstate, heading to Pineview City. 

After a struggle, Grey managed to secure the belt around his upper arm. He collapsed in the seat, gasping for breath. “I’m gonna puke,” he gasped.

“You need to calm down,” Raven said as he glanced worriedly at his friend. “You’re going into shock, Grey. I need you to breathe. Take deep, slow breaths.”

Grey closed his eyes tight. “My arm feels like it’s on fire.”

Raven stole another glance at Grey’s arm. He’d seen injuries like it before, but not in such an extreme, and involving rattlesnakes, not hell hounds. Did the hell hounds have a poisonous bite? What cured that? Who knew how to cure that--

Raven’s stomach dropped. Shit. He knew exactly who.

They were approaching the stop sign at the end of the dirt road that exited onto the highway. It was after midnight but he could see lights approaching fast. Raven couldn’t believe his luck when he saw the semi truck approaching. 

“Hold on,” he ordered, loudly to get get Grey’s attention. He stepped on the gas as he checked his mirror, and sure enough, the hound was behind them yet. He ran the stop sign, swerved into oncoming traffic--

“Raven!” Grey yelped as the truck blared it’s horn. Raven swerved his truck out of the way at the last second, hitting the gravel shoulder and spinning out. Grey swore as he was thrown around the small cab of the truck and into Raven.

When he finally regained control of the truck he steered it onto the highway. The truck was gone, but there was a huge splat of blood on the road. 

Raven sighed with relief. There wasn’t a lot of things that could survive getting hit by a semi truck going sixty-miles an hour. He looked at Grey, who was curled up in the seat and far too quiet.

“Grey?” he asked as he shook the other boy’s shoulder. “Grey?”

Grey only groaned in response, shuffling back and away from any contact.

Raven reached for his cell phone, only to realize he had forgotten it in the house. When he heard Grey’s screams and the dog’s cries he had been in the shower. Grey was in his pajamas so he doubted he had his phone either. His only choice was to drive fast and pray they didn’t get pulled over.

…

Tires squealed as Raven parked the truck in front of the magic shop. Dark Moments was quiet and the neon sign in the window read ‘Closed.’ But Raven knew that the vampire was in there. He had to be there. As of right now, the vampire was Grey’s only hope.

Raven jumped out of the truck and ran to the passenger side. When he opened the door Grey fell out and into the arms. The boy had passed out a long time ago. His face was ashen grey and his injured arm was sticky with dried blood, pus, and was turning colors. When Raven wasn’t worrying about Grey dying, he was worrying about Grey losing his arm. Werewolves could heal from a lot of things, but limb loss wasn’t one of them.

With Grey clutched against him, Raven pounded on the door to the shop. He was just going to kick the door down when it flew open and a pair of red eyes stared at him from the darkened shop.

“Raven--”

“Help him!” Raven barked. “I-- _we_ need your help.”

Jason’s eyes swept over the situation and he quickly stepped to the side.

The vampire rushed the two inside, escorting Raven to the break room where there was a large table. Jason could smell the sickness that had covered the werewolf. He could taste the poison on his tongue. Within moments the small shop was filled with the thick, pungent scent of poisoned blood and rotting flesh.

Jason frowned down at the young werewolf. “A hell hound bit him.”

“Yes,” Raven said. He raked his hands through his long hair, smearing it with Grey’s blood. He didn’t care. His clothes were dirty and bloody, and the scent had filled his nose. “Can you help him? I’ll give you anything you want. Just help him.”

The vampire looked at Raven. The boy’s blue eyes were wide, his face pale, his stance tense and his body quivering with desperation. He glanced at the other boy again. The wound on his arm was swollen and angry; turning dark in color as the flesh and nerves died. Poisoned blood was coursing through the werewolf’s veins, spreading the hell hound’s venom through his body. If the boy was human he would already be dead. If they waited any longer, he would certainly die.

“I will,” Jason said. He shrugged out of the cardigan he was wearing and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He circled the vulnerable werewolf once. “We need to clean that wound and he needs a blood transfusion.”

“I’ll do whatever you tell me,” Raven offered.

“This tissue is dying,” Jason said as he motioned to Grey’s arm. “The best thing to do would be remove his arm--”

“No--”

“Then we can try cutting away the tissue. Wait here.”

Raven stood over Grey, petting his fingers through the boy’s sweaty hair. Grey whined softly, his body shaking and sweating. His blue eyes fluttered open and stared up at Raven. “R-Raven…”

“It’s going to be okay,” Raven lied. He didn’t know what was going to happen. But lying seemed like the best thing to do. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Hold him down,” Jason said, suddenly appearing next to Raven, making him flinch. “This is going to hurt him. Once I start, I won’t stop. Don’t try to stop me.”

Raven stared down at Grey, who had gone quiet and still, his pale, sweaty face drawn into a painful frown. Raven wished the rest of the pack was here. They were so much better at dealing with this than he was. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Do it.”

When Jason started to cut into Grey’s arm, slicing away infected and dying flesh, the boy started to scream and attempted to jerk away from the pain. Raven leaped onto the table, straddling Grey and holding him down while the other boy thrashed beneath him. His screams cut Raven to his core; he wanted to tell Jason to stop, he wanted Grey to stop screaming, he wanted the sickening scent of rot and pus to go away.

For just a moment, he wanted the world to just end.

But there was nothing Raven could do other than wait for the vampire to finish cleaning away the dead flesh. When he was finished Grey had long since passed out, the color completely gone from his face and his breathing shallow. Raven frowned with worry. 

“Let’s move him,” Jason said as he dropped the knife to the floor. There was blood everywhere. His hands were slick with it. But while the scent would have normally sent Jason into a frenzy, it instead made him nauseous. Grey’s blood was ruined.

Raven turned to Jason. He avoided looking at what was left of Grey’s arm. “Where?”

“The couch in the office,” Jason said. 

Raven carefully gathered Grey into his arms and followed Jason to the office where he had already set up an IV stand with a bag of blood hanging from it.

“The transfusion will take several hours,” Jason explained. 

“But he’ll… live?” Raven asked as he laid Grey down. Jason handed him a roll of bandages and antiseptic. Grey’s arm was missing most of the muscle and flesh; he could see the bones. He swallowed down the sickness and hoped Grey could recover from this. “He’ll be okay?”

Jason hesitated, watching as Raven carefully cleaned and wrapped Grey’s arm. “He should.”

Raven’s head snapped up. “Should?” he questioned.

“I’m not going to promise you anything,” Jason said as he motioned for Raven to move so he could start the transfusion. “I don’t know anything about the way werewolves heal. That would be your speciality.”

Raven stepped back, watching as the vampire worked. He was surprisingly gentle with Grey. Soothing him when he moved or made a sound, and gently wrapped a blanket around him to keep the boy warm. When the blood was dripping, Jason stepped away and turned to Raven, his eyes red glittering. Raven felt a jolt shiver up his spine.

“I think we should clean up,” Jason said. “There is a bathroom just around the corner.”

They went their separate ways for the moment. In the public bathroom, which was tiny and only a toilet, sink and mirror, Raven washed his hands and arms, wet his hair in the sink to rinse the blood from it, and thought about taking off his shirt, but he didn’t have a replacement. When he felt that he was as clean as he was going to get, he went back to Grey.

Jason was already there, standing over the werewolf. He had changed his clothing, now wearing a t-shirt and tight, black ripped jeans. He was barefoot. He smelled clean, too, like he had showered, but Raven didn’t think that was possible.

The vampire turned to look at him, eyes glittering with interest.

Raven shifted nervously. “I stand by...what I said,” he said, “I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Jason tilted his head. “Anything?”

Raven didn’t like the way the vampire was seemingly prowling around him. He tried to keep in mind what Emma had said, that Jason was a good person, that he wouldn’t hurt him. Right now Raven was worried about Grey’s vulnerability, but he was also selfishly worried about himself. What the vampire wanted, he would give him. He wouldn’t break that promise. 

“Anything,” he murmured quietly.

The vampire’s lips twitched into a little smile. “You’re afraid of me.”

Raven frowned. “Not of you,” he corrected, “of...what you want. What you might do.”

The vampire took a deep breath. “All I ask is a taste of you.”

Raven tensed. “A taste?”

“Yes. May I?”

“I said I would--”

“I know what you said,” Jason interrupted, “but I want you to give me permission.”

Raven wondered why it was so damn important. He bit his tongue, he almost said no, almost stormed away, but when he glanced at Grey, pale and asleep, he couldn’t do that. He nodded. “I give you permission.”

The vampire smiled, the red in his eyes alight with excitement. He stepped up to Raven quickly, taking his wrist in his delicate, cool hands. Raven was shocked how cold the vampire’s skin was. It was so white against his own tanned skin, with blue veins that were easily seen and his nails were painted black, which made his skin look all the more white.

Without a word or another look, Jason lifted Raven’s wrist to his mouth. The bite was sharp and quick, but Raven still flinched, instinct telling him to pull away. When he tried, however, he realized there was no escaping the vampire’s grasp. He had been warned by other werewolves that once a vampire had you in his jaws, there was absolutely no escaping. 

The sound of Jason sucking greedily on his wrist, swallowing his blood, made Raven’s stomach turn.

He was starting to panic, the instinct to flee or fight rising up inside him, when the vampire lurched back.

Raven stumbled, staring at the vampire whose eyes were glowing and pale skin _blushing._ Jason licked his tongue over his red lips and sighed contently.

“I apologize,” Jason purred, “that was a bit more than a taste.”

Raven cradled his wrist to his chest. The bite was two small punctures and dents from the vampire’s other teeth. The skin around the bite was bruised and swollen, but it had already stopped bleeding and the pain was ebbing. He reached for the bandages he had used on Grey to wrap his wrist.

_It’s done,_ Raven told himself, _we’re even now._

“Where is the rest of your pack?” Jason asked as he checked Grey. He had covered the boy with another blanket and put a pillow under his injured arm and placed ice packs around it.

_Shit._ “I forgot my phone at home. Can I borrow one?”

“Of course,” Jason said as he pulled his cell from his back pocket and held it out to the werewolf. When Raven hesitated, Jason only smiled. “I’ll not bite again.”

Raven felt like the vampire was taunting him. He snatched the phone from him and turned away. Jason left them alone and Raven took a moment to gather himself. He looked at Grey, who was still pale and quiet, before punching in Fox’s cell number and holding the phone up to his ear.


	11. Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit all over but it was sure fun.

It was a humid night. Fireflies blinked in and out of the darkness. Overhead the moon was full and bright, and when he sat looking up at it without blinking he could see the dark shadows canyons and comic strikes scarred onto the moon’s surface. He was going to go there one day, he’d decided that a long time ago. His father laughed, said it was his job to be a farmer. But he didn’t want to be a farmer. It was okay now, he supposed. He liked cows, and his brother’s horse was always fun to ride along the river in the fall, when the leaves were crisp and bright in color.

Suddenly the world blurred out, swirling into darkness and pain. Bright, blinding pain. The boy screamed, but the sound was covered up by the loud snarls of a dog, his father’s shotgun, and his mother’s screams. The world turned upside down, as the boy suffered through fever and pain. He saw monsters and demons, he heard his mother crying, his brother reading to him from the Bible, his father’s soft words that he would be okay. The wolf got away, but his father was sure that he killed it.

It was another humid night. There were no fireflies blinking. He could taste blood in his mouth. Could hear screams in his ears. But he was not in control of his body. There was a hunger inside of him, a lust for blood that he couldn’t stop. He tasted blood, he craved more of it, he didn’t care… about the screams…

Grey woke with a start. He kicked, trying to dislodge the blankets wrapped around him. Sweat shined on his flushed skin and sickness rose in his throat.

Before he could throw up something caught his attention. He was not at home. He was on a strange couch. There was a bag of blood on an IV stand next to him, and his arm… His arm was…

_What the fuck happened?_ He swallowed hard and pushed his free hand through his hair, but nearly pulled the needle from his arm. _Where the fuck am I?_

…

Collin sucked in a sharp breath as Fox moved over him, bearing down on him hard and rough. When Fox grabbed his ass, curling his nails into the soft flesh there, and thrust particularly hard, Collin let out a sharp yelp. 

“Sh!” Fox hissed. “Unless you want to get interrupted by your parents.”

Collin covered his mouth with his free hand, the other was twisted behind him, his squeezing a pillow. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back in the pillows as Fox continued to grind into him. Finally he whined. “Slow down, will you? This isn’t a race,” he whispered.

Fox grunted in reply. Beneath him Collin was sweaty and flushed, his body covered in little bites and bruises from Fox’s teeth. The moon made him hot, made the beast inside him thirst for his mate beneath him. He growl rumbled in his chest and he grabbed Collin by his hips as he pulled out of him just enough to flip him onto his belly, then he was on and in him again.

“Mmph!” Collin whined as he pressed his face into the pillows. His back and thighs were aching, and he was exhausted. It was late, late morning and they had spent the night in both skin and fur, running and touching and flirting and teasing. For the most part it had been fun, but now that they were in bed together… He hitched in pain.

“You love it, you know it,” Fox growled as he pulled Collin’s long hair. He leaned down, biting at the boy’s neck. Collin let out another sharp whine when Fox shoved into him hard. 

When Fox leaned down against him, closing in for a kiss, Collin turned and bit him instead.

“Hey!” Fox growled as he lurched back, hand over his mouth. He licked his lip which was bleeding. “Fuck, Collin, why did you bite me?”

Collin moved away from him. “I asked you to slow down,” he growled. “You didn’t listen.”

Fox wiped his hand over his mouth and sighed. “I didn’t hear you.”

“Don’t lie,” Collin sighed. He was sweaty and unfulfilled. He wanted to just finish and go to sleep. It was incredibly late and they had school in the morning. He was just going to suggest they jerk each other off when Fox’s phone started to ring.

“Shit! Grab that!” Collin hissed.

Fox lunged for the phone. He didn’t recognized the number but answered it anyway. “What?” he barked. He looked at Collin, sitting naked at the head of the small bed, his long pale hair was a tangled mess and his fair skin was marked from Fox’s teeth and nails. He felt a growl rumble up his chest. He wanted to pin Collin down and finish what they had been doing. In fact he was so distracted by his naked mate that he didn’t hear the person on the other side of the phone until they yelled.

“Fox! Are you fucking listening?”

“What? Raven?” Fox said as he looked away from Collin. “Who’s phone is this?”

“Jason’s--”

“--the vampire!?”

“Don’t interrupt,” Raven snapped as he rubbed his neck. He was pacing outside of the magic shop. He hadn’t wanted to leave Grey alone, but he needed some fresh air. The shop smelled too much like vampire and bleach, as Jason had started to clean up the bloody mess Grey had left behind. 

When Fox was silent, Raven continued, “Grey was attacked and bitten by a hell hound. This was the only place I could think of to go to.”

“Is Grey okay?”

Collin straightened up. “What happened to Grey?”

Fox frowned at Raven’s silence. He was about to repeat himself when Raven sighed, “I don’t know. You need to get here quickly.”

“Give me the address.”

After Raven rattled off the address Fox hung up the phone and raked his hands through his hair. “Grey was attacked by a hell hound and Raven brought him to that vampire for help. We need to get there asap. We should probably leave Luke--”

“Are you fucking crazy?” Collin said as he sprang from the bed and started to jerk on his clothing. He was pulling on his shirt as he crept across the hall to Luke’s bedroom. He slipped inside, only to stop cold in his tracks.

…

There were two wolves. Luke recognized the gold wolf as the monster inside him. However… it didn’t look like a monster here. It was small in size, with a fluffy tail and ears and a face that might seem sweet if its muzzle hadn’t been pulled into a terrible snarl. 

The two of them were standing on a black sand beach that glittered like the stars overhead. The ocean was dark and silent, with a neon pink moon of improbable size rising up over the horizon. Luke tilted his head back, looking up as shadows began to creep across the stars, snuffing them out one-by-one, only two red one eyes remained, looking down at them.

The gold wolf snarled and Luke jumped, looking across the beach where the wolf was now standing over another. This wolf Luke recognized immediately as Grey’s wolf-shape. It lie vulnerable in the sand, covered in blood with a missing leg. Luke cried out and sprinted across the landscape which suddenly started to fall away. 

He tripped and fell into the sand, which bit into his skin like needles. He looked up, watching as the gold wolf continued to stand over the grey wolf, but his attention and snarls were not directed at the other wolf. In front of them, the moon had fallen from the sky, and shadows were glowing.

“Luke!”

Luke shook his head, grabbing at his ears as a voice boomed around him. It wasn’t from the shadow or the wolves. He turned, looking into the wind as sand swirled around him.

“Luke! Wake up!”

Luke turned around, struggling to stand as the sand crawled up his legs. He reached out to his wolf, which was in front of him. The wolf’s muzzle curled into a wrinkled frown, but it didn’t growl or snarl. His fingers were inches animal, which was fighting against the sand to reach him, when the sand swallowed him and he woke up.

“Luke!”

Luke’s eyes popped open and he found himself staring up at his brother. Collin’s hair was a mess and his clothes were sloppily pulled on and a heady smell surrounded him. Luke frowned.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he sat up.

“You were having a nightmare,” Collin said as he sat on the bed.

“Why do you smell like _that?”_

Collin tilted his head before blushing. “Oh--Fox and I were um. That’s not important. Raven called--”

“Something happened to Grey,” Luke interrupted with widened eyes.

“How… did you know that?”

“I saw him in my dream--” he remembered how broken the grey wolf had looked. He stumbled over his brother and out of the bed, going to the clothes he had tossed to the floor before going to bed. He pulled his wrinkled jeans on over his boxers and grabbed a t-shirt. “We need to go!”

…

“Are you hungry?”

Raven looked up from where he was sitting in the office with Grey, who had woken for a few minutes before falling asleep again. The vampire was lounging far too casually in an overstuffed chair across from them. When Raven looked at him he felt a prickle up his spine.

“Hungry for what?”

The vampire laughed. “Food. You know, things normal creatures consume to survive.”

_Now he’s being a smartass._ “I’m fine.”

“Well, Emma keeps the refrigerator in the breakroom stocked with various unhealthy sweets and fruits, if you change your mind. I’m sure she would share,” Jason said. 

“Don’t you have something better to do?” Raven asked.

“This is the most entertained I’ve been this year.”

Raven’s eye twitched. “You’re unbearably annoying.”

“Do you act this way with your packmates, or is it just me?”

“Act like what?” 

“All defensive and bitter,” Jason asked as his lips curled into a smile. 

“I am not--bitter or defensive,” Raven argued, “you’re a vampire--”

“That has been well established,” Jason said with a smirk, “and I think I’ve proven myself by saving your friends life and sparing your’s. So, let me ask you again, are you always this way?”

Raven huffed through his nose. “Yes.”

“Wow,” the vampire said with a laugh. “I bet you’re fun at parties.”

“I don’t go to parties.”

“I’m not surprised,” he said. Jason sat up suddenly. “A car just pulled up.”

Raven got up quickly, leaving the vampire behind, and met his pack as they walked in the door. Relief spread through him. He might be antisocial and a loner, but he was a wolf in a pack, and even Raven couldn’t deny that being in the presence of his pack made him feel stronger.

“Where is he?” Luke asked as he pushed by his brother.

Raven frowned when Fox grabbed Luke by the arm, jerking him back. He looked over his shoulder to see Jason standing behind him, watching the pack with curious eyes.

“He’s in the back,” Raven said, “it’s okay. That’s Jason.”

Jason gave a little wave. “I’ll show you.”

“I don’t think so,” Fox growled as he stared at the vampire. He was annoyingly beautiful. Black hair, pale skin, red eyes that were both frightening and attractive, with a lean figure and finely boned face. Looks were deceiving though, and he was still in a vampire in the end.

“No, it’s okay,” Raven said with little sigh. 

Luke jerked from free from Fox and went down the hall with the vampire.

Collin frowned worriedly before darting after them. Fox growled, turning to Raven. “Are you fucking crazy? I’d think, out of all of us, you would be the last person to do something this stupid.”

“Stupid?” Raven growled back. “Grey would be dead right now if it wasn’t for Jason.”

“Do you know that for sure?” Fox demanded. “We should have dealt with this together!”

“But we _weren’t_ together, were we?” Raven shot back. “It was me and Grey, as it has been since school began. You’re never around, Fox. And Collin and Luke are back with humans that don’t understand what the fuck we are. This isn’t a pack that’s always together, and tonight that was quite evident when a hell hound came to the house, killed Dashi, and nearly killed Grey! I’m not even sure if he’ll keep his arm, Fox.”

Fox flinched. He’d never heard Raven say so many things at once before. He shifted on his feet as his brain scrambled to handle the situation. “So--so what are you saying? That we’re not a pack?”

“Idiot,” Raven huffed. “You’re an idiot. Let’s go.” He turned, leading Fox to the back room where the rest of the pack and the vampire was. Luke was kneeling next to the couch, talking to Grey who was awake and smiling weakly at him. Collin was giving them their space and standing back talking and smiling with Jason.

Raven huffed at the two of them. He knew they were talking about him, because the moment Collin looked at him he grinned at him with a twinkle in his eye that Raven did absolutely not trust.

“Jesus, Grey,” Fox gasped when he saw the boy. Grey’s left arm was wrapped in bandages but it was distorted in size and shape. He looked like he had lost almost all the skin, muscle and tissue and was just… bone and hunks of flesh. He swallowed hard. “What happened?”

“I don’t remember,” Grey said weakly. “Raven said it was a hell hound bite.”

Fox turned to Raven, Collin and the vampire. “How bad is his arm?”

Raven shrugged. “Bad enough.”

“Will he heal?”

“I think so,” Raven said. He had changes the bandages when Grey was asleep. His arm looked like mushy hamburger, but it was growing and healing. If Grey had the strength he’d suggest he try Changing, but the boy could barely sit up without help. “Slowly.”

“Let’s take him home,” Fox ordered.

Jason stepped up. “You can’t. Not yet.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Fox,” Collin scolded. “Calm down. He’s--”

“A vampire,” Fox snapped, “and thanks for the help, but we’ll be leaving.”

Jason frowned. “He needs at least one more transfusion,” Jason said, “unless you want him to relapse. There is still poison in his blood. He’s not out of the woods yet, werewolf.”

“How do you know his blood is clean? Did you bite him?” Fox demanded.

Jason rolled his eyes. “I can smell it.”

“Fox, calm down,” Collin said again, “you need to fucking chill. Jason is okay.”

“You just met him,” Fox growled.

Collin arched an eyebrow. “I did and I stand by it. Relax. You know what, why don’t you go to school.”

“I’m not leaving him here!”

“Guys, I’m fine,” Grey said from the couch. “I’ll hang here for the day. It’s cool.”

“It’s certainly not fucking cool--”

“Stop,” Jason snapped, his voice sharp and loud. “The sun is rising and I’ll be retiring for the day. I called my employee and explained the situation to her. When she gets here she’ll make sure Grey is well taken care of. When you are out of school, I will still be asleep, and you will be safe to come here and taken your packmate home. But if you take him from here now, if you remove that IV, you will kill him.” Jason stepped up to Fox, standing close and staring into his green eyes. “Do you want him to die?”

Fox’s body shook. He wanted to Change and fight this vampire. A growl bubbled up through his chest.

“Let’s go,” Collin said as he grabbed Fox’s hand and pulled him away from the vampire before a fight could break out. “Jason, thanks so much. We’ll repay you for this. Luke, let’s go. Raven… you look like you murdered Grey. Go home, change clothes, and then get to school.”

Fox was sputtering and growling as Collin dragged him out the door. 

“I’m sorry,” Luke said from where he sat with Grey. “Alphas are… weird and overprotective.”

Jason smiled. “Not the first werewolf alpha I’ve dealt with.” 

Luke turned to Grey. “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah,” he said sleepily. “I’ll just lay here and veg all day.”

Luke ran his fingers over the bandages covering Grey’s arm. Fragments of his dream leaked through: the two wolves on the beach, the shadow monster, and the gold wolf, protecting the grey.

“Luke?” Grey’s hand touched Luke’s cheek. “You there?”

Luke smiled softly. “Sorry, I was just thinking about this dream I had.”

“It was about me being sexy, wasn’t it?”

In the background Luke heard Raven huff and Jason laugh. “Yeah, sure,” he chuckled. “I’m sure they’re waiting for me… You sure you’ll be okay?”

Grey nodded. “Yeah. Raven said Emma is just my kind of person.”

Luke tilted his head. “What kind of person would that be?”

“Annoying.”

“Oh,” he laughed. “I’ll be here right after school. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Grey sighed. They shared a short kiss before Luke left the room. Grey sighed.

“I can stay Grey, if you want,” Raven offered.

Grey smirked. He could hear the hesitation in his voice. “I’m sure you’ve over-exerted yourself with kindness. You better recharge for the day before you shrivel up and die.”

Raven’s lips twitched before he turned and left, the vampire trailing after him. 

...

**Unknown (9:25am): _Hey darling._**

Luke frowned at his phone. Only one person in the world called him darling, but this wasn’t Grey’s phone number. He glanced at his teacher, who had her back turned to the class as she rambled on about a subject Luke had long lost interest in. He quickly replied:

**Luke (9:27am): _Grey?_**

**Unknown (9:28am) _The one and only!_**

**Luke (9:28am) _Whose phone is this?_**

**Unknown (9:29am) _Emma, Jason’s employee. She’s a witch!_**

**Luke (9:30am) __Are you being mean or serious?__**

__

__

**Grey (9:30am) __Serious lol__**

__

__

They texted back and forth for the rest of the class, until Grey said he was feeling tired and Luke encouraged him to rest. He felt his chest tighten as he put his phone again, to keep himself from texting Grey when he might be asleep. He wanted to leave class right then and there, cross the city, just to be at Grey’s side, but there was nothing Luke could do to help him. Grey needed rest and blood.

When the lunch hour rolled around Luke headed outside to find his pack. Usually they ate off campus, going to a close fast food joint or ordering food ahead for pick-up. Ordering food through an app on the phone was a blessing, honestly. Today he saw Fox was missing from the group.

Luke sat down in the grass under the tree where Collin was sitting and Raven was lounging in the grass. He looked asleep but Luke knew better, Raven didn’t relax or let his guard down outside the walls of home. And even then he was aware of everything going on around him.

“Where’s Fox?”

“He went to pick up food,” Collin said, “Taco Bell.”

“Mm, tacos,” Luke said happily. He tilted his head. “Are you okay?” Collin looked washed out, and the bags under his eyes were huge. 

“I’m just really tired,” Collin sighed. Outside it was cloudy and pleasant. He wanted to curl up against Raven and go to sleep. “I didn’t get any sleep.”

“None?” Luke asked with a frown. Then he remembered how Collin had smelled when he had woken him from the nightmare. “Oh, right. You know, you don’t have to fuck every night.”

Raven raised his head, frowning, before turning his back on them.

Collin kicked at his brother. “Why don’t you mind your own business, pervert.”

Luke kicked him back. “It’s not like I’m trying to listen. Do I look like I want nightmares? No.”

Raven huffed something akin to a laugh.

“Oh, think it’s funny, huh? At least I’m not crushing on a vampire.”

That made Raven roll over onto his back. He scowled at Collin. “What?” he barked.

Collin’s lips curled into a mischievous grin. “What?” he echoed innocently.

“I am not crushing on that vampire.”

“Why not?” Collin asked. “He’s fucking sexy.”

“Then you fuck him.”

Collin sat back, staring up thoughtfully. “Now that would be something, wouldn't it it? Do you think vampires suck dicks as well as blood?”

Luke stared wide-eyed at his brother. “Collin, why--?

Raven was also starring, but there was a shade of color on his cheeks. He turned away quickly, ignoring them.

Collin was laughing. “I’m not sorry. I’d love to know.”

“Well when Fox gets back--”

“What?”

Luke looked up as Fox crossed the grass toward them, carrying a four-pack of sodas and a large bag of food. He blushed and swallowed. “Nothing.”

Fox eyed him suspiciously before dropping into the grass next to Collin who had turned his attention to his cell phone. “Have you heard from Grey?”

“He was texting me from Emma’s phone earlier,” Luke said. Fox opened the bag and set it down between them. It was full of beef and chicken tacos. He plucked one out eagerly. “He’s sleeping now.”

“And you’re sure it was Grey, right?” Fox asked.

Luke frowned. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Because if anything happens--”

“Fox,” Collin interrupted, “He’s okay. They aren’t going to hurt him.”

Fox threw a look at Raven, who had sat up to grab a soda and a taco, but Raven was refusing to look at any of them. He merely took his share of food and turned, looking out into the trees instead of his pack.

…

After school the pack stopped by the Dark Moments to pick up Grey. He was still looking pretty pale and weak, but he said that he’d actually had a pretty good day hanging out with Emma. She’d told him all about being a witch and they had watched Game of Thrones on her iPad.

“I’m staying with Grey tonight,” Luke declared once they reached the Howl house.

Collin rubbed his forehead. “I admire your rebellious nature, Luke, really, but there is no way that Dan will let you get away with that.”

“Isn’t he out of town tonight?”

Collin tilted his head. “He’s what?”

“Oh, right, because you weren’t home, again,” Luke sassed, “he’s going to some basketball game tonight out of town. He’ll back tomorrow night. So I’m staying here.”

“And Mary? Did you forget about her?”

“She’ll be okay since he’s gone,” Luke said with a shrug. “And if not well… she won’t call the cops.”

Collin crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Hey, you can bring Fox with you and you two can, you know, fuck all night.”

“Any boners I had are now gone, thanks little brother.”

Luke gave him a thumbs up and headed across the living room to Grey’s bedroom. Inside the boy was sitting at the foot of the bed, looking at his bandaged arm. When they reached home Luke had helped Grey change the bandages and had nearly thrown up at the sight of Grey’s mutilated arm. 

However, it was healing.

“Hey,” he said as he sat down next to Grey.

Grey looked up and smiled. “Hey, darling.”

“You doing okay?”

Grey took a deep, thoughtful breath. He looked around his bedroom. It was too quiet. The dogs hadn’t been obnoxiously loud, but there had always been some evidence that they there around. A bark, a howl; the clip of claws on the tile floor in the kitchen. They would be sleeping on the floor or on the couch or on the bed, or following Raven around just to annoy him. 

“Not really.”

“Maybe I can cheer you up,” Luke offered with a blush and a warm smile.

Grey chuckled. “Oh yeah? How?”

Luke shrugged as he leaned their shoulders together. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Maybe together we could come up with something.”

Luke’s hum turned into a sharp giggle when Grey tackled him onto the bed. A playful growl rumbled up through his chest as he straddled Luke and nipped playfully at the boy’s neck.

Luke giggled, squirming against Grey as he nibbled at his neck, purposely going for the place where Luke was ticklish. He dissolved into laughter, pushing against Grey until he managed to flip them, and he was straddling the other boy. He pinned Grey’s hands above his head.

“Ha!” Luke said triumphantly. “I win.”

Grey grinned up at the blond. “I guess you topped me.”

Luke blushed hotly. He was seated on Grey’s hips, and could very clearly feel something hard against his ass. He swallowed hard. “I-I guess so…”

“So now that you’ve won, what are you gonna do?” Grey asked.

Luke released Grey’s wrists. “I um, I don’t know?”

“Well you could…” Grey shifted his hips, rubbing up against the boy in his lap. 

Luke bite his lip as he blushed. “Mm…” he sighed. He wiggled, closing his eyes, as he ground down against Grey. It didn’t matter that they were both fully dressed, Luke felt like there was nothing separating them. He dug his knees into the mattress, rested his hands on Grey’s chest, his fingers curling into the fabric of his t-shirt. When he pushed down against Grey’s jean-clad erection, Grey would thrust up against him. 

A heady scent filled the room; Luke could taste it on his tongue. He squeezed his eyes closed, biting his lip, as they continued to grind together. Grey’s hands found their way up Luke’s shirt, and after ghosting over his stomach and chest, stopped to pinch his nipples. Luke gasped loudly before groaning sharply.

It felt… good. _So good._ “G-Grey… yes…” 

Grey rolled them over, pinning Luke down, thrusting hard between his legs. Heat pooled deep in his stomach and he was starting to hurt and ache. He needed a release, and so did Luke. He leaned back, working Luke’s zipper down and pushing his hand inside. The boy let out a surprised gasp as Grey wrapped his fingers around his hard, aching cock, and started to jerk him off.

“G-Grey! Grey, Grey…” Luke whined, his voice soft and quiet. He opened his eyes, staring up at Grey, into the intensity of his blue eyes.

Grey swallowed hard, suddenly frozen in place, with one hand down Luke’s pants and the other gripping the boy’s leg, holding it up so he could thrust against him. He watched, frozen, as Luke’s fingers undid his belt, his zipper, and pulled his cock out.

“Oh, shit Luke,” he gasped. He shook his head, which was fogging up fast. He leaned down, taking Luke in a deep, desperate kiss, driving his tongue inside. Luke’s free hand tangled in Grey’s hair, pulling hard, as they started to move against each other.

They weren’t even fucking, but Grey felt hotter than he ever had in his life. He could feel cum dribbling over his knuckles and used it as lube, rubbing Luke’s cock up and down to slicken it before he started to jerk him off again. Luke’s delicate fingers did the same, stroking over Grey’s shaft, rubbing the head of his cock, smearing precum over his palm. 

Beneath him Luke let out a moan that had Grey cumming.

His gasp of shock morphed into a growl, and he thrust his hips hard, splattering cum over Luke’s hand and stomach. Panting harshly, he pushed Luke’s hands away and scooted down so he could take the boy’s cock in his mouth.

Luke covered his mouth with his clean hand, to smother the moan. He’d been just on the edge, but now, when Grey’s mouth sucking greedily, he exploded, his whole body overcome and hips bucking.

With a long suck and lick, Grey lifted his head. The scent in the room was thick and Grey wanted to open a window. He looked down at his mate, flushed and sweaty beneath him, still completely dressed, but dirty with cum and marked from hard kisses. He grinned before giggling.

Luke’s eyes fluttered open. He was still catching his breath. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Grey admitted. He wiped his hands off on his jeans before leaning between Luke’s legs and pulling him forward for a kiss. “Nothing is funny. I’m just… so happy.”

Luke followed suite with wiping his hands on his jeans before tangling his fingers in Grey’s hair. “Me too. In fact I… I feel more than happy. I feel… weird inside. Hot. Like…”

Grey felt Luke’s forehead. He was hot, feverish hot. He realized with a little start that he felt the same way. Like he was going to boil over. It would have been a reason to panic had he not heard stories from mated pairs of what was currently happening.

“God,” he murmured, “we’re _bonding.”_

“Hm?” Luke asked. He wrapped his legs around Grey, keeping them together. They weren’t even fucking, but he felt like they were connected inside, like they moving inside and against each other. Sparks of pleasure danced across his skin, and he stole another demanding kiss from Grey, this time tasting him with his tongue.

Grey kissed him back, deep and hard, before moving to bite at Luke’s shoulder. His teeth sharpened and sank easily into the skin. He tasted blood; Luke cried out.

“I’m sorry,” Grey said, “did that hurt?”

“No,” Luke said with a frown. He could see blood on Grey’s lips and leaned up to lick them. He felt an instinctive uge rush through him, and jerked Grey’s head to the side. He ripped the collar of his t-shirt to reach his shoulder and bite down hard.

Grey shuddered at the sharp bite of teeth; but Luke was right, it didn’t hurt. It felt… good. He groaned, licking at the mark he’d give Luke. The bleeding had already stopped and the wound was swollen.

Luke collapsed back onto the bed with taste of blood in his mouth. “I bit you.”

“You marked me,” Grey chuckled as elation swelled inside him. “Just like I marked you.”

“What’s that mean?” Luke asked. He felt like he’d had another orgasm, but they hadn’t been touching. He let out a shaky breath and relaxed his legs. Grey laid down over him.

“It means we’re soulmates,” he said. 

Luke knew that Collin and Fox were mated, that they were bound together through sex and their desire for each other, but he had never heard the word soulmate used between them, and neither them had matching bite marks on their shoulders. Luke reached up to touch Grey’s. 

“It’ll scar,” Grey said. He took Luke’s hand and kissed his palm. “We’ll match.”

“Soulmates,” he said softly. “I like that.”

“I love that.”

Luke laughed. “I guess that means I’m stuck with you, huh?”

“Forever and ever.”

“Amen.”


	12. In Moments Like These

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading all the wonderful comments here and at my Tumblr. xoxo

“You know you’re grounded, right?”

Luke chuckled over the phone. “So, is this how it feels to be you?”

Collin’s bedroom was dark, the only light was from the fairy lights hung over the windows and tangled into the headboard of the bed. He was sitting on the bed now, his homework in front of him and a half-eaten bag of caramel popcorn next to him. He snorted.

“Well, did you get a good fucking?”

“Grey and I are soulmates.”

Collin started to cough on the popcorn he had shoved in his mouth. Short of turning blue and dying, he finally coughed up the popcorn and took a long drink of water. He wiped his eyes and sat up, grabbing his phone which he had dropped.

“What?” he rasped.

“Are you okay?” Luke asked. “It sounded like you were dying.”

“I’m fine,” he choked, his voice rough and forced, “you-you two actually--”

“No,” Luke confessed quickly, “but we… did mess around. And there was this weird moment, where it was like we were both feverish, and Grey said… we were bonded. That we were soulmates.”

Collin shook his head. “But--but you have to have sex to bond like that--to know you’re soulmates,” Collin struggled with the words, because inside his heart was aching. He and Fox had formed a mate-bond after they had had sex and declared their devotion to each other, and while the bond did tie them together, it was easily breakable, and nothing like the soulmate bond, where you were bound together forever, until you died, or the moon fell out of the sky. 

He could hear Luke shuffling the phone around, and wondered where he was. _Probably in Grey’s bed._

“I just know what Grey said and what I feel inside me,” Luke said softly with a contented sigh.

Collin tugged on his hair, which he had braided after showering. “Well… I’m happy for you.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” Collin asked a bit sharply. He had hoped, over the years, that his and Fox’s bond would have evolved into the soulmate bond, but that was a stupid hope. From what Collin knew about it, which honestly wasn’t an a lot, but the soulmate bond was formed between two wolves who were picked from the stars to be together forever, and this bond was established through sex.

But Grey and Luke hadn’t had sex, they had ‘messed around.’ Which meant that their bond was one of the strongest Collin had ever heard of. When he thought about it, it wasn’t all that surprising. The way they looked at each other, acted around each other...

“I’m happy for you. It’s great.”

“So um, what did you tell Mary?”

Collin was grateful for the subject change. “That you were staying with a friend.”

“How… did you word that?”

Collin laughed. “Did I out you, you mean?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I would never do that to you,” Collin said earnestly. “I said you were staying with a friend who had been in an accident and needed help with homework and stuff. When she asked for said friend’s parents names and phone numbers and the address I said he didn’t have any, like Peter Pan.”

“Ugh.”

“And then I got grounded.”

…

“You know the deal.”

“You can’t answer one goddamn question?”

“That would negate the deal.”

Raven growled and gripped the phone tightly in his hand. The cell phone reception at the Ridge was shockingly good and that irritated Raven more than it should have. He paced along the rocks, looking out over the valley. There was no moon tonight, and the sky was dark and full of clouds. 

“Raven?”

Raven hated the way the vampire said his name. He felt a prickle up his spine. “What?”

“How is Grey?”

“He’s fine,” Raven said. More than fine, by the way Grey had smelled when Raven had ran into him in the kitchen. He’d been flushed and warm, with a heady scent on his skin and a glow surrounding him. Raven’s parents were soulmates, but Willow and Eric hadn’t been. Finding your soulmate was an incredibly rare feet.

But looking at Grey and Luke, he wasn’t surprised at all.

“Raven?”

“Hm?”

“You haven’t said a word for a couple minutes. What’s up?”

Raven bristled. “What’s up is I called to ask you questions about hell hounds, to which you refused.”

“Hey, you’re asking me to betray the secrets of my species, secrets that one can be killed for sharing, if you want me to take such a risk, then I want something in return.”

_My blood._ “Can’t I just bag it and send it to you?”

Jason’s laughter was sharp and lively. “I prefer my blood fresh as possible.”

Raven continued to pace. “This conversation is over with then.”

“Was it so bad?”

He frowned. “What?”

“My bite?”

Jason’s voice was soft and husky, and Raven felt a jolt. With a growl he ended the call and resisted the urge to fling the phone out into the valley below. 

There was an uncomfortable heat in the bottom of his belly, and it was a feeling he was absolutely not used to. The vampire made him feel things, things that he had never felt before with or for anyone. Raven could have blamed it on a simple primal need that all werewolves had, but it wasn’t the vampire’s looks or scent that were making him feel things, no, it was his snarky way with words and the fierce intelligence behind those red, predatory eyes. 

Which really made Raven want to jump off a cliff, literally, because this just wouldn’t do. The vampire was attractive, annoyingly so, but Raven had seen his fair share of beautiful people. As much as he hated to admit it, but Collin and Grey were both also annoyingly attractive. No, it just had to be the vampire’s wits and brains that had caught Raven’s interest.

Raven huffed and turned his face to the sky. Though he couldn’t see the Moon didn’t mean he couldn’t hear it’s song. He was just thinking of Changing and going for a hunt, to wear off some energy, when he smelled smoke.

…

The brown and tan wolf dropped his nose to the ground and sniffed. The night was young, the sky was dark, and the wildlife was loud and active. The wolf prowled after a rabbit for about a mile before letting it dart away through the underbrush. He wasn’t hungry for blood, not at this moment. Despite his alpha status, Fox found he wasn’t as bloodthirsty as other alpha werewolves he had met. When he did have a hunger, it was for his mate’s body, not blood or meat.

Fox trotted up through the a hill, speckled with tall trees and full ferns. The sounds of the forest stopped abruptly, and so did he.

The stink of rotten blood was on the wind. He crouched down, creeping through the undergrowth and around trees. The moon was hidden by the clouds, casting the forest in pitch dark, but he easily prowled from the tree line and into long, unkempt grass that surrounded an old hunting cabin.

A growl rumbled in his chest. This was it, the vampire nest. He could smell it. There was an old, rusted dumpster just outside the cabin where flies swarmed. His nose told him exactly what was in there.

Fox circled the cabin twice. It had been abandoned years ago, and had fallen prey to the elements. The wood siding was rotten and falling apart, all the windows were broken and shards of glass lay in the tall weeds crawling up the side of the cabin. The roof was stripped of shingles and the doors were open at odd, jarring angles. The electricity and water had been turned off ages ago, but he could see a light flickering inside. When he stood on his hind legs to look in a window he saw candles throughout the room.

_I don’t think anyone is home…_ Fox paced back and forth, listening for anything that might give him an idea where the vampires were. But the night was young, and they were probably out hunting.

The wolf bared his teeth into a snarl. This wasn’t far from the pack house. Looking at the ground he saw large paw prints and when he sniffed them he jerked his head up and wrinkled his nose. Hell hounds.

Where were the hounds now? He didn’t hear or smell them. But then, the stink of blood, flesh and death was so thick here he wasn’t sure he would be able to pick out the scent of one of the hounds.

He stepped up to the front door, peering inside. Silence. The candles were still. No one was breathing.

He had to push his shoulder against the door to open it, which it did, with a loud _CREEEAK._

The wolf’s ears flatten and he winced, crouching to the ground. After a moment, when nothing happened, he stood up and stepped into the cabin.

The downstairs was one large living room, with a broken stairway leading up to a loft area. An open doorway lead to the kitchen and a broken door to the bathroom. There were no appliances and everything was dirty, covered in cobwebs, bird droppings and carcusses of small animals. The ground was covered in footprints, bare and booted, muddy and bloody. There were a few pieces of furniture in the living area, an old sofa and chair and coffee table, that were obviously used. The dust was disturbed, there were cigarette butts in an ashtray, and magazines were strewn about. There were also chains and glasses stained with blood. On the mantle above the fireplace, which smelled of fresh ash, were bottles of liquor and wines.

Yeah, they were making themselves right at home. Fox was standing at the base of the stairway, trying to figure out how to get up there, when his claws clicked on the floor, making a different kind of sound. He looked down and realized he was standing on a trapdoor to a crawl space.

_Of course,_ he realized with a start. Vampires aren’t going to sleep in the loft, they were going to sleep in the crawl space away from all sunlight. He sniffed around it and was trying to figure out a way to open it when the wind picked up, howling through the house.

Startled, Fox jumped back into a corner table and knocked it over, causing the candles on top to fall to the floor, which was covered in magazines and old newspapers, and quickly caught fire that spread in a bright flash of light.

_Fuck!_ Fox growled and leaped away from the quickly spreading fire. He whirled around, looking for the nearest exit, which was a broken window. He sprang easily through it as the flames licked at his tail.

The wolf landed lightly in the tall grass outside the cabin and trotted a few yards before turning around. The cabin was going up quickly, the fire spreading like flooding water. He snorted as the air filled with black smoke and the fire started to roar. 

Knowing that the fire was going to attract attention, Fox turned and ran back toward home. 

…

“What the hell is on fire?”

Raven looked up. He’d ran home from the Ridge, at first worried the smell of smoke was coming from the house only to find it fine once he reached the yard. Grey was standing out on the porch with Luke; the two of them were standing close and Luke was wearing Grey’s pajamas.

“I don’t know,” Raven said, “I thought maybe the house.”

Grey looked offended. “It was one time, man. Just one time.”

Luke looked at Grey. “You… started the house on fire?”

Grey shook his head. “No,” he denied, “uh, let’s go out onto the roof.”

Raven followed the two into the house. They went up to the second floor, opened the trap door to the attic and pulled down the stairs, then went up and out one of the windows onto the roof. They still weren’t higher than the trees, but they could see billowing black smoke in the distance.

“What’s out there?” Luke asked.

“Wasn’t there a cabin?” Grey asked. He remembered kids partying out there from time to time.

“Yeah, but no one has been there for years.”

“Fuck--the vampires,” Grey gasped, slapping his hand against his forehead. “That’s their nest!”

It was so obvious that Raven was suddenly very angry at himself. Why the hell hadn’t he thought of that? “If it is--why are they burning their nest down?”

“They aren’t,” Luke said as he stepped across the sloped roof and pointed to the trees, “it’s Fox!”

The trio watched as the wolf trotted across the yard, throwing looks over his shoulder before he disappeared onto the porch and into the house. The trio waited, Luke sitting down on the roof with Grey and Raven standing, until Fox climbed through the window to join them.

“So you went after the nest alone?” Grey asked.

Fox, smelling of smoke and the earthy musk of his recent shapeshift, shrugged. “It was all an accident.”

“How do you accidentally burn down a house?” Luke asked.

“Were you making ramen and forgot about it?”

“Fuck off, Raven.”

Raven smirked, then turned his attention to Fox, who was running a hand through his scruffy brown hair.

“I ran into a table with a candle on it,” Fox said with a shrug. “Honestly--it was bound to happen anyway. Candles everywhere, man. I think these guys have watched one too many horror movies because you can’t have that many candles on dry, wooden surfaces and newspapers.”

“Do you think they’ll know it was you?” Luke asked.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Fox said. “I know we can track vampires by scent but… I don’t know how well they can track with their nose.”

Everyone looked at Raven, who frowned and shifted on his feet. “What?”

“You’re friends with the vamp--”

“I am not his friend.”

“Well, you know him better than us. Can you ask him?” Fox asked.

Raven frowned while crossing his arms over his chest. He looked back to the cloud of black smoke filling the horizon. “I’d rather not.”

“Then I’ll ask him,” Fox said.

“You ask him, and there will just be a fight,” Luke pointed out. He was running his fingers over Grey’s bandaged arm. It already felt stronger and fuller; the boy was healing fast. “You kind of hate him.”

“It’s my right, as a werewolf, to hate him.”

“Now who's seen too many horror movies?” Grey said with a roll of his eyes. “This isn’t like, Underworld.”

“I hate those movies,” Luke muttered.

“Guys, off topic,” Fox interrupted. He ran his hands through his hair again. “Raven--”

“Fine,” he barked sharply, making the three of them jump. “Fine--I’ll ask him.”

“Want to use my phone?” Grey offered.

Raven tensed. He knew that Jason wouldn’t answer any questions over the phone. No, he didn’t have a choice, he would have to go to the vampire’s home. He took a deep breath, meant to calm him, but it did nothing. “No, I’ll take care of it on my own.” The night was still young, and he wasn’t tired, so why not take a trip to the city?

He pushed by his three packmates and went back into the house, heading down to his bedroom. He changed into jeans and a t-shirt, pulled on his sneakers and grabbed the keys of his truck. He could hear the other three as they came down the stairs, but he was out the door before they could see him.

The wind had changed directions, carrying the smell of the fire away from the house. Raven backed his truck down the driveway and turned around at the end, heading down the dirt road to the highway and then the exit for the interstate.

Jason hated going into Pineview City. He was a forest wolf through-and-through, and lately he had been spending too much time amongst steel, concrete, brick and treated, chemical lumbar. He’d much rather be in the trees now, hunting small prey, marking the territory pack lines, and howling to the sky.

…

It was no surprise that Jason was home when Raven knocked on the shop’s front door.

“I should just give you a key,” the vampire smirked as he opened the door.

Raven bristled. “I won’t be here long. I just need some information.”

“I’m wounded. I thought you wanted my company.”

“Why, why are you so unbearable?” Raven grumbled as he followed Jason to the back office which he was far too familiar. He stood with his arms crossed.

“I’m only unbearable to you,” Jason said as he sank down into one of the plush chairs, “others think I’m charming.”

“Charming,” Raven huffed. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Take a seat, relax,” Jason offered with an extended hand. “I won’t hurt you.”

Raven grumbled under his breath but he did sit down on the sofa. 

“So, you had some questions for me?” Jason asked with a sly smile. There was a sparkle in his red eyes and Raven found himself digging his fingers into the couch, he almost growled. 

“Raven?”

“Right,” he said as he snapped himself out of his long stare, “my alpha found the vampire nest and burned it down.”

Jason tilted his head. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“The vampires weren’t home,” Raven said. “What will they most likely do now?”

“Find a new nest,” Jason answered. “All this is fairly self explanatory. You came all the way out here for that?”

“No,” Raven said. He shifted uncomfortably. “I’m worried about what’s to come. This isn’t over, is it?”

“Vampires hold grudges,” Jason admitted, “it’s not like we’re going to run out of time.”

“So they’ll come for the house? What about the hell hounds?”

“Ah, well, they are most likely dead. Hell hounds rarely venture out during the day, so they probably burned in the fire. They are daytime guardians, to keep vampires safe when we sleep.”

“Do you have a hell hound?”

“These vampires will yes, most likely come for you,” Jason continued, ignoring Raven’s question, “when, I can’t tell you. After they establish a new nest, or maybe they’ll decided to use your home as a nest.”

The hair on the back of Raven’s neck prickled. He tensed. “What?”

“They’re homeless, and they’ll need shelter quickly. The sun is deadly to us.”

“How do we keep them out of the house? How do we protect ourselves?”

“You’ve killed one, right?” At Raven’s nod, Jason continued, “so kill them again. Rip off their heads. Burn them. Those are the only two ways to kill us. Go crazy and have fun with it.”

Raven may have argued that killing wasn’t fun but that would be a complete lie. He licked his lips. “How do we keep them out of the house?” he repeated.

Jason drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “You remember our agreement. Blood for information.”

“Yes, yes,” Raven huffed, “but I want to know--”

“We cannot enter a home without an invitation,” Raven said. “You’ll be safe from any invasions. Hell hounds, however, are not bound to that. If they have more, they can enter your home anytime they want.”

Raven blinked. He had heard that in movies and books, even rumored among other werewolves, but he had never heard it confirmed before. This was great news. They would be safe as long as the vampires didn’t create anymore hell hounds.

“Is there anything else?” Jason asked.

Raven looked to the vampire. He knew what he wanted; he knew it was time to pay his part of the bargain. His heart started to pound and he felt sweaty and flushed. With a hard swallow, Raven shook his head.

Jason moved from the plush chair to the sofa next to Raven in the blink of an eye. The young werewolf flinched, but didn’t growl or move away. He’d made a deal, and he’d stick with it, even if he didn’t want to.

The vampire chuckled warmly. “You don’t have to be scared of me.”

“I beg to differ,” Raven said dryly. He swallowed hard when the vampire brushed his long black hair back, exposing his neck. He waited, eyes focused on the floor in front of them, body tight like a tense, when lips touched his neck.

It wasn’t a bite though, it was a slow, wet kiss, then the vampire leaned away.

Raven looked at the vampire with a confused little frown. “What are you doing?”

Jason smiled. It was a real smile, not sly or devious or evil, but sweet and true. He combed his fingers through Raven’s long black hair before exhaling. “It’s on the house.”

“What? Why?” Raven asked, confused.

“You’re adorable when you’re confused,” Jason chuckled. 

“What? No--don’t flirt with me, I’m serious here. What are you doing?”

Jason shrugged and stood gracefully. He dug his bare toes into the plush carpet beneath his feet. “Being a nice guy.”

“I find that unlikely.”

“Maybe your blood doesn’t taste good.”

For a split second Raven found himself actually offended, before he remembered Jason’s flushed face after the first time he had fed off him. He stood. “That’s a lie.”

“Yeah,” Jason chuckled. “You’re devine. But I’m not going to bite you. Go home to your pack, tell them what I told you. Vampires are unpredictable, Raven. We have no sense of honor, no rules to follow other than the basics, and we hold alliances with only our sires and nest-mates. You’re going to have to be ready.”

“If you were going to give me all this information, why make me come all the way here to get it?”

“Maybe I wanted to see you again,” Jason said quietly.

Raven hesitated. He stared at the gorgeous vampire in front of him. Jason’s hair was pulled back in a messy bun, he was wearing an old Atari t-shirt and drawstring black sweatpants. He looked like he was ready for a casual night watching television or playing video games. Raven wondered if that was exactly what he was going to do. Did vampires do such things? Why wouldn’t they?

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

“Don’t mention it,” Jason said with a shrug. “Just take care of yourself.”

It took a great amount of strength for Raven to turn and leave the shop. When he stepped outside he took a deep, long breath. The scent of the city wasn’t rejuvenating or refreshing, it was dirty and sour and made his nose wrinkle. 

He stole one glance behind him before getting in his truck. He didn’t see the vampire anywhere, but he could feel eyes on him. He might not see Jason, but Jason was certainly looking at him.

There was a tickle up his spine, but it wasn’t anything Raven had ever felt before.


	13. Penumbra

Raven rubbed his neck and shifted in the seat as he drove home. He was uncomfortable and wanted to pull the truck over and Change. He felt like he’d been in his human skin for far too long and needed to get out and stretch his wolf legs. Through the windshield he could see that the moon was partially covered by shadow and cloud. 

However, pulling over on the interstate in the middle of busy night traffic and abandoning his truck to become a wolf was ill-advised, even he knew that, so he continued to drive. It was silent, as usual there was no music playing. Even if he wanted to distract his thoughts from earlier, the radio had broken long ago and he had never bothered to fix it.

Suddenly he understood why sometimes Grey and Collin played music so loud that the neighbors could hear it: he really wanted to drown out his own thoughts right now, too.

Again he rubbed his neck, where the vampire had kissed him.

Had it been a kiss? Or just a touch? He didn’t know. How was he supposed to know?

“Fuck,” he growled under his breath. He stepped on the gas, passing two semi-trucks and serving through traffic until the familiar exit came on quickly. Flipping on his blinker he took the exit at a dangerous speed, but honestly, had any of them ever braked for this? No.

His eyes stayed on the treeline as he drove home, watching for any signs of glowing eyes or sharp teeth. When he rolled down the window he could smell the fragments of smoke and water, and knew that someone must have called the fire department after seeing the blaze from either the campgrounds or highway or maybe even a hunter or farmer saw the smoke. Hopefully the humans arrived before the vampires, and they wouldn’t know that a werewolf had (albeit accidently) burned down their nest.

Not surprisingly there were still lights on in the house when he parked in the driveway. He headed up to the house and through the creaky front screen door that snapped shut loudly behind him. It was unnerving to step into the house and not be mobbed by the barking of dogs. He frowned as he turned, closing the door and locking it behind him.

“Hey,” Fox said from the living room. 

Raven kicked off his shoes and went into the kitchen. He was feeling uncomfortably shaken and needed something to calm him down. He filled the kettle with water and put it on the burner to warm. While he waited he found a mug and his chamomile tea. 

Footsteps crossed the living room to the open kitchen. “I wish you wouldn’t have gone off alone,” Fox said.

Raven huffed. “Don’t worry about it.”

Fox leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms across his chest. He was wearing sweatpants and a tanktop and his hair was back in a messy bun. But Fox’s hair was always messy. “So?”

“So?”

Fox rubbed his forehead. “ _So,_ did you learn anything from that vampire?”

“Jason did give me some useful information.”

“And what was it?”

…

Fox stood outside on the porch, staring into the darkness. Dawn was only a few hours away and he needed to get some sleep before school in the morning, but he didn’t think that it was going to happen tonight. What Raven had told him had put him on red alert. If the vampires knew that werewolves had burned down their nest they would certainly be coming for them. Fox didn’t feel much comfort knowing that the vampires couldn’t enter the house uninvited; they could still burn it down and force them out.

He tensed, gritting his teeth and taking a deep breath. He pulled his phone from his pocket, tempted to call Collin just to hear his voice, but instead he pulled up local news stations to see if there were any reports on the fire.

“Oh, shit,” he murmured softly. Sure as fuck there were reports, after all, he’d seen the dumpster outside the cabin that had smelled like death and rotting bodies. The police had found charred remains that were both human and animal.

In other city, town, or even state, such news would be front page with international headlines, but not in Pineview City, which Fox swore was the mysterious-murder-capital of the world. Hell, they had more “serial” killers than any other city, but only because the human population didn’t know about werewolves or vampires. So everything was pinned on serial killers and dog attacks.

Fox sometimes wondered what would happen if the creatures of the night ever “came out the closet” and revealed themselves to the world.

_That’s stupid, you know exactly what would happen,_ Fox reminded himself. Humans still couldn’t treat each other with respect; racism was rampant, and members of the LGTBQ community were constantly targeted with violence. The latter Fox was familiar with, he and Collin had had some issues in school when they had decided to not hide their relationship.

It hadn’t lasted long after Collin had decided to just kick the ass of anyone who dared to throw a slur at him. Fox’s lips twitched into a smile and he almost called Collin again.

Resisting the urge to wake up his mate, he instead focussed on the news report in front of him. It was the same old Pineview City news spiel: bodies found mutilated, all ages and sexes, animal carcasses of deer and dogs, all mutilated, the work of some sick individual, maybe by someone who was also leaving bodies around Pineview City. Maybe a partner or a copycat or a different murderer that was never caught.

There had been no evidence left at the cabin, which had been a total loss. No mention of hell hounds or vampires or werewolves, just the usual crazy human out for blood and armed with sharp knives.

Fox shoved his phone back into his pocket. He watched as a doe picked her way across the yard, grazing quietly. The night was peaceful. He knew the vampires had to be somewhere out there, but they weren’t around here. They were probably looking for shelter from the upcoming morning.

Fox flexed his fingers, growing his dull human nails into claws.

_Cut off their heads, huh?_ He thought to himself, _Should be easy enough._

…

“Raven, it’s Willow. Don’t try calling me, I don’t have a phone. I’m using one at a bar in the middle of nowhere. I had a dream last night that you were in danger, and I need to make sure you’re safe. Which doesn’t make sense, I know, since you can’t actually call me back, so wipe that eye-roll off your face. I dreamed you were in a dark room surrounded by zombies, and there was a looming mass of hatred and sickness near you, and they were hurting you. I don’t know if this means anything, or if it sounds familiar to you, but I want you to be careful. Stay near your pack. Stay safe, baby bird. I love you.”

Raven frowned as he lowered the phone from his ear.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked. They were sitting outside over the lunch hour. A new sandwich shop had opened up not far from the school and they delivered, so Fox had met them in the school parking lot. Now they were enjoying gourmet paninis, sharing a large ceasar salad, and drinking sweet tea. 

“My sister left me a voicemail,” Raven explained. He set his phone down in the grass and picked up his sandwich, which was ham, brie, spinach and grilled apple. He hadn’t been sure about the combination but it was surprisingly good. 

“Is she coming back?” Grey asked hopefully. 

Raven gave him a funny look. “No.”

“Damn,” Grey sighed, “I was hoping we could swap you for her.”

Raven rolled his eyes. He thought about what Willow had said to him. They all had nightmares, but werewolves with tight bonds often had glimpses into each other’s lives, which he had seen in Collin when Luke had been kidnapped and torutred. But he was fine, and there was no looming mass of “darkness and sickness” lurking around them. Unless that meant the vampires?

Jason momentarily came to mind. No, Jason wasn’t dangerous--to him. Others, absolutely.

“So what do you want to do, Fox?” Collin asked. He had finished a prosciutto, turkey, arugula sandwich that had had some kind of jam on it. He licked his fingers clean before reaching for his tea.

Fox exhaled. “I hate just waiting for them to attack us.”

“If they will,” Luke offered, “I mean, how do they know that it was us?”

“I thought about that all night,” Fox said, “and… they just have to know it was us. We were their only neighbor and we’ve already killed one of them, and two of their hell hounds.” He shrugged. “I can’t just assume they’ll go on their way. This has been escalating.”

Luke frowned and glanced at Grey. “So what do we do?”

“You’ll do nothing,” Collin cut in. “You’ll stay inside where it’s safe.”

Luke glared at his brother. “I’m not helpless, Collin, I can do something.”

“Can you Change?” 

“Well… no.”

“Then you’re staying inside. In fact, you should just stay home--”

“Fuck that,” Luke snapped. 

“Luke,” Collin stressed, “you got away with one night out, but it’s not going to fly twice--”

“You stay out all the time!” Luke argued loudly. “Why can’t I?”

“Because you’re supposed to be better than me!” Collin yelled back. “And I can’t have you getting hurt. So you’ll go home and you’ll stay there!”

“The hell I will!”

“Guys--calm down!” Fox interrupted. People were looking and he didn’t need anyone over-hearing them. 

“No--” Luke snapped. He dropped his sandwich down into its cardboard box and stood up quickly. “I’m not going to be left behind. There has to be something I can do.”

Raven looked up at him sympathetically. “He’s right, Luke, you’ll just get hurt or killed.”

“I can take care of myself,” Luke argued. He looked to Grey for support, but his mate just looked away, slumping his shoulders. Luke felt the color drain from his face. Did no one here think he could do anything? He wasn’t going to always be the victim here. He clutched his hand over his chest, wishing he could reach inside the pull the wolf out of him. _If we could just work together, I wouldn’t be helpless!_

He turned and stalked away, heading toward the school.

“Let him go,” Fox said with a sigh, “let him cool off.”

Grey had stopped eating and was staring down a rip in his jeans. He felt terrible, but he selfishly would not let Luke go out and fight vampires like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He agreed with Collin that Luke should be somewhere safe. But he didn’t want him with Dan and Mary, either.

_You can’t have it both ways,_ Grey told himself. Luke is either safe in the Burns or he’s in the packhouse and a potential target. Whether the vampires knew Luke was damaged or not, he was obviously too young to be in enough control to Change on his own. That alone was a giant handicap.

He stood suddenly and took after Luke in a run.

Collin sighed and leaned back on his hands. “Well, what should we do, Fox?” he asked.

Fox watched Grey running across the grass to the school. He felt envy festering in his chest. He had noticed the energy change between Luke and Grey, and he knew what had happened between them before being told by Grey. He looked at Collin, and felt the connection between them. It was strong, but it was easily breakable. He wondered why the hell Luke and Grey were the ones to be soulmates? Certainly he and Collin--

“Fox?” Collin asked again.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Any ideas?’

“Hunt them down,” Collin said. “That’s what I would do.” 

Raven exhaled. “I agree.”

“And if you think about telling me to stay at home,” Collin cut in as Fox opened his mouth, “then I will get up and join Luke and Grey. I think I’ve proved myself enough times by now.”

Fox’s lips twisted into an annoyed pout. He had been about to say that exact thing. “Collin--”

“Rip off their heads or burn them,” he said as he looked at Raven. “Can’t be that hard.”

Raven smiled. “It isn’t.”

“Then I’d say we’re as ready as we’re going to be.” He flexed his fingers, claws curling there. “Bring it on.”

…

Between classes Fox caught Collin and pulled him into the auditorium, which was currently empty and dark. He pushed him against the wall and kissed him hard. Collin groaned, biting Fox’s lip and licking at his tongue, before pushing him back by his shoulders. 

“What’s up?” Collin asked with a breathless laugh.

“I just wanted to taste you,” Fox sighed. “Come here.”

Collin melted against him, kissing him hard again, only putting a stop to it when Fox groped the front of his jeans. He hissed at the spark of pleasure and pulled back again. “We only have minutes between classes,” he reminded Fox, “don’t you dare do that.”

Fox shrugged. “I’m not sorry.”

“You never are,” Collin said. He wormed his way out of Fox’s grasp, needing some distance between them so he didn’t go to class with a boner. He ran his hands through his long hair and tried to clear his head. “So, what’s with the make-out session? I mean, I know I’m hot.”

Fox’s lips quirked when Collin struck a sexy pose. He certainly was hot. The most beautiful boy he’d ever seen in his life. He felt a warm pulse between the two of them, the bond that held them together. Certainly the universe had made a mistake, how could they _not_ be soulmates?

“I just wanted to see you,” Fox said. “Um, about Luke and Grey…”

Collin shrugged. “Luke will get over it.”

“I’m not talking about the vampires.”

“Then what?” Collin asked.

“About… the soulmate thing.”

“Oh,” Collin said. He adjusted his book bag on his shoulder. “Right.”

“Do you think it’s true?” Fox asked, a bit bitterly, “mabe it’s a mate-bond and they don’t know better.”

Collin shook his head. “I can feel it between them, Fox. It’s a soulmate bond.”

“But how is that possible?” Fox asked. He knew damn well it was a soulmate bond, he had just hoped he’d been wrong, had hoped Collin would agree with him.

“Look at them together,” Collin said, “they’re… perfect for each other. I was a little shocked at first since they haven’t had sex, but I’m happy for him.”

“But why aren’t _we_.”

Fox’s voice was a whisper and Collin only heard him because of his superior hearing. He swallowed hard. “Fox…”

“Why aren’t we, Collin?” Fox repeated again. He looked up at his mate. 

Collin closed his mouth and felt a tight pain in his chest. The bell rang suddenly and loudly, making them both jump. Collin took a step back. “We have to get to class. I’ll see you after school.”

Fox watched Collin leave the auditorium. He stood there, clenching his fists. He turned, anger bubbling up through him, and kicked the nearest object, a row of seats; the one he kicked splintered and broke loudly, echoing in the large empty room.

With a disgruntled sigh Fox turned and stormed through the door and toward class.


	14. Changing Patterns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I stubbornly refused to cut this into two chapters so it's pretty long. It's also the last chapter of this book! Thank you all so much for reading. There are some notes at the end of this chapter. Keep Howling! xoxo

“They are definitely moving closer to the house.”

Fox sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “They’re fucking with us.”

Grey stood up from where he had been crouched in the grass. Every night the scent of vampire was closing in closer and closer to the house. “I wonder why they’re waiting to attack us.”

It was Saturday morning. A pretty perfect morning, at that. The sun was shining, the air was cool, and there was just the slightest breeze. But after Raven’s morning run he’d returned home to report that yes, the vampires were continuing to encroach over pack lines and move closer to the house.

Worse, they couldn’t track the vampires back to wherever it was they were hiding out. The vampires were traveling by foot, tree, and vehicle, and every trail they followed lead to a dead end or disappeared completely. It was like they were playing hide-and-seek. During the night the vampires creeped close to the house, as if daring the werewolves to come out and hunt them, and during the day the werewolves tried to track the vampires to their new nest.

Fox scrubbed his hand through his hair. “They want us to know they’re out here.”

“Maybe they’re waiting for us to come to them?” Grey suggested. He paced around a tree, observing deep claw marks that were not made by wolf or bear claws. 

“Lure us out of the house, where we’re safe,” Fox murmured. He growled, the sound reverberating in his chest.

Grey looked to the direction of the house, but he couldn’t see it through the trees. He knew that Raven, Collin and Luke were there, probably finishing up breakfast. He tilted his head up, sniffing the air.

“Do you smell something?” Fox asked.

“Oh, I was just trying to see what breakfast is, but the wind is from the wrong direction.”

Fox rolled his eyes. “Are you serious?”

Grey looked over at him. “What? I’m hungry.”

“This is serious, Grey,” Fox reminded him with a hard stare. “I’d like your attention.”

Grey turned, tensing. “Chill out, man,” he said, “I know it’s serious--”

“Do you?” Fox asked with a scowl.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Grey asked. “You know what, you’ve been pissy all week. Did I do something to piss you off? Or are you just in a mood?”

Fox glared. “I’m just a little tired of you not taking shit seriously.”

“Oh, I take plenty of things seriously,” Grey growled, “remember, it’s my mate that can’t defend himself.” 

“I’m aware of that,” Fox grunted. He turned to Grey, who took a step back. “I’m constantly reminded.”

“Is this… about me _and_ Luke?” Grey finally asked. When Fox turned away, not answering, Grey felt his stomach drop. He darted after the other boy. “Fox, you can’t seriously be upset about this?”

“I’m not mad at you,” Fox finally confessed, “I’m really sorry, Grey.” Fox seemed to give himself a shake. Whatever anger that had been pecking at him fell away. He turned to Grey and dropped his shoulders. “I’m really happy for you.”

Grey rubbed absently at the silver scar on his shoulder from Luke’s teeth. “You’re upset because you and Collin…”

“Aren’t, yeah.”

“It’s really rare, Fox,” Grey reminded him, “even Vandina and Verum aren’t soulmates. What you and Collin have is just as strong and valid as what Luke and I have. Probably more so, since you’ve been together forever.”

Grey’s crooked little grin made Fox sigh and smile. He looked up to the sky through the branches of the trees. “I know that, I do. I’ve just been… kind of conflicted lately.”

“Lately?”

“Shut up.”

…

“I think tonight we should go out and hunt the vampires down,” Collin said as the pack gathered together for breakfast. While Grey and Fox had been out sniffing for vampires, he and Luke had grilled steaks, fried eggs and bacon, and browned potatoes. Everyone had a heavy plate of food and full cups of coffee or orange juice.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Luke asked as he cut into his steak. 

“We’re _werewolves_ ,” Collin stressed as if to remind everyone, “we’re giant killing machines, remember?”

Grey grinned wickedly. “We are giant killing machines. And it’s been a while since we’ve done any damage.”

Luke glanced between his brother and his mate. It was a little unnerving to hear the pack talk so casually about killing and bloodshed, but Collin was right, they were monsters themselves, and it didn’t make sense to suppress those greater urges. He rubbed his hand over his chest, wondering if his wolf was listening.

“What do you think, Raven?” Fox asked. “You’re more familiar with vampires than we are.”

Raven frowned. “Just because I’ve spoken to Jason a couple times does not make me familiar.”

“I think it would do you some good to be a little more familiar with him,” Collin taunted.

Raven huffed, shaking head and ignoring the white wolf. “The one I killed was easy to take down, but it had also been asleep when I did it.”

“How hard do you think it would be to kill Jason?” Fox wondered.

Raven tensed. “Why?”

“Just trying to size up the vampires we might be against,” Fox said as he sipped his coffee.

“I don’t think any of us could kill Jason,” Raven answered honestly.

“Really,” Fox deadpanned. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am, but he isn’t the current problem,” Raven said as he steered the conversation back to the point, “these vampires are newer, I doubt they are old and experienced like Jason is. Even he said it’s a nest of new vampires since they were stupid enough to set up so close to werewolf territory. So they’ll probably be easier to kill.”

“You guys are making a lot of guesses and assumptions here,” Luke pointed out.

Collin shrugged. “Do you have any suggestions then?”

“Well, no,” Luke muttered, “but, I mean, don’t you have any werewolf friends you can like, ask?”

“And ask them what?”

“If they’ve ever killed a vampire,” Luke said.

“I’d rather keep other packs out of this,” Fox said. “Even Vandina and Verum. We owe them enough as is.”

“What about o-online?” Luke asked.

“Like, werewolf chat rooms?” Grey asked.

“Yeah.”

“You can’t trust shit you read online,” Fox said with a shake of his head. “You never know who you’re talking to.”

“Yeah, that three-hundred-year-old werewolf might be a fifteen-year old named Tommy,” Grey said.

“Werewolves can live three-hundred years?” Luke sputtered.

“If we’re lucky,” Grey said with a grin. “What? Don’t want to spend that much time with me?”

Luke pushed at Grey’s shoulder. “Obviously I do. But that’s l-like a long time.” _But it’s a lot of full moons that I’ll miss out on,_ Luke thought miserably.

“Anyway,” Fox continued, “Jason said beheading, fire, and sunlight. I guess beheading is the way to go.”

“Why not fire?” Luke asked.

“A werewolf carrying a torch?” Collin mused, “that’s a good way to lose fur.”

“Not if you’re careful,” Luke argued.

“Yeah, why don’t you try it.”

“I’d love to, but I can’t,” he snapped back. “Why don’t I carry the torch?”

“Because you’d trip for sure,” Collin pointed out.

Luke wanted to argue, but it was probably the truth. “Fine, heads it is.”

They cleaned up after breakfast and went about doing their own things. Collin and Fox sat in the living room, talking and playing guitar, Collin lamenting that he missed performing at Moonbeam and Fox agreeing while Raven argued against the idea, not missing being on stage at all. When he got tired of listening to their plans to replace him in the band, he rolled his eyes and headed outside to hunt.

“We should go to the movies some night,” Grey said.

Luke didn’t like everyone talking like they might not possibly die tonight or tomorrow night, but he decided not to bring it up. If this was how the pack coped, then fine. “I’m flat broke. They cut my hours at work so much it’s like I don’t even have a job.”

Grey chuckled. “Well, I like having more time with you.”

They had gone into Grey’s bedroom together, sitting on the bed and listening to Frank Ocean on vinyl. “It doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference since, you know, I’m not really living here. I was grounded, by the way, but I snuck out with Collin anyway.”

Grey laughed. “Look at you, being the bad boy.”

“Well, they won’t know that I’m gone because they went out to some work event,” Luke chuckled. “I bet I’ll get a dozen calls tonight.”

“Eh, fuck em,” Grey said. He grabbed Luke, pulling him into his lap. “You’re all mine and I’m not sharing,” he murmured as he leaned in for a kiss.

Every kiss with Grey was like the first. Luke felt a shock of excitement rushing through him when their lips touched. His hands gripped Grey’s shoulders and he shifted his weight back, until he was on his back and Grey was over him, slanting his lips over Luke’s and licking. With a gasp Luke’s lips parted, and the kiss deepened. Luke felt himself tremble, felt his heart start to pound; his brain seemed to shut off. All he could focus on was the lips on his own and Grey’s deep, wet kisses.

“God, you are so good at this,” Grey panted as he caught his breath.

Luke, breathing heavy as well, laughed. “I think it’s all you.”

“Are you fucking kidding,” Grey chuckled. “Darling, it’s all you.” He descended on Luke again, whose lips were pliable and ready for him. When Grey thrust his tongue into his mouth, Luke sucked it greedily.

Grey groaned. He wanted Luke out of his clothes right this instant. He wanted him on his back, on his knees, on his stomach, and in his lap. He didn’t give a fuck what position they were in, as long as they were together. He kissed harder, teeth clacking together and lungs burning, but he didn’t care. He needed to taste more of him.

“G-Grey!” Luke gasped. 

“Shit,” Grey puffed, he placed wet, open-mouthed kisses along Luke’s neck, “baby I want you.”

“Yeah, I can feel that,” Luke giggled as he pressed up against Grey, who was between his legs. He could feel the arousal there, he could smell it in the air. Grey had a very distinct scent when aroused, and Luke found it intoxicating. “I want you, too.”

“You serious?” Grey breathed. “Are you sure?”

“I think I’ve been sure for a while,” Luke said with a nervous little laugh.

Grey groaned, kissing him again, but didn’t move to take off their clothes. This moment could not have come at a worst time. Not only were Fox and Collin just out the door and down the hall, but the moon would be rising soon and they were going to have to go out and hunt fucking vampires. He groaned for a whole new reason.

Luke broke the kiss. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, just thinking about how much I hate vampires, because it’s keeping me from fucking you.”

Luke’s mouth opened in surprise before he blushed hotly. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. He sat up, looking down at the boy on his bed. Luke’s hair was messy and his shirt was rucked up his stomach. He reached down, running his hands up and under the shirt and along Luke’s tanned skin. He felt Luke shiver. 

Luke swallowed hard. He craned his head back to look up at the window above the bed. He could tell by the shadows that it was starting to get dark. He huffed. “I guess that makes me hate vampires too, then.”

Grey gazed down at Luke lovingly. He thought about what he and Fox had talked about in the woods. Grey knew he was lucky, more lucky than anyone he’d ever met, and it wasn’t just because Luke was his soulmate, it was more than that, it went deeper than that. Luke loved him, despite his flaws. 

_But he doesn’t know the whole truth,_ he thought bitterly.

Gentle hands suddenly touched Grey’s face. “Hey?” Luke asked softly. “You okay?”

Grey looked up. He’d been spacing way off, and had gone completely still over Luke, his hands resting on the boy’s ribs. He cleared his throat and reached up, taking Luke’s hands in his own. “Yeah, perfect.”

“Because you seem distracted,” Luke said. He sat up slowly and Grey leaned back off him. “Talk to me.”

He smiled softly. “I really don’t deserve you,” he murmured.

Luke scoffed. “And why not?”

“Because I’ve done some horrible things in my life,” Grey explained quietly, “and I just… never thought the universe would reward me by letting me… find someone as amazing as you.”

Luke blushed. “Grey,” he said, “we’ve all done horrible things. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve to be happy.”

“Isn’t that exactly what’s supposed to happen though?” Grey asked.

Luke pressed his forehead against Grey’s. “Whatever you’ve done, I know that you didn’t mean it,” Luke whispered. 

“But I still did it…”

“I don’t care,” Luke said firmly. He captured Grey’s lips in a soft kiss, before pressing against him and deepening it. Grey groaned, leaning back and letting Lukek take the lead. The kiss was deep and wet, making Grey feel like he was going to drown in Luke’s scent and touches. He shuddered.

_“AROOOOOOOOOoooo!!”_

Luke sat up in shock and Grey gasped in surprise. “Was that--?”

“Raven--!”

…

Collin and Fox ran out the front door, listening as Raven howled again. The sun had set and darkness was slowly sweeping across the land. Collin felt a rush of excitement through his limbs. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Fox said as he stepped down into the yard. “Let’s go! GREY!”

“Right here!” Grey shouted as he and Luke ran from the house.

Collin turned to his brother, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Stay here, Luke.”

Luke squirmed and shook his head. “But--”

“Stay!” Collin repeated. “Promise me.”

Luke huffed. “I promise.”

Collin kissed him on the cheek before he turning, running down the steps and falling as he started to Change. Fox was already a wolf and running across the yard. Grey turned, staring at Luke, as the Change started to rip through him. Luke stood, wringing his hands together nervously, watching as Grey and Collin became wolves.

It didn’t frighten him anymore, watching the others shapeshift. It was horrible and bloody and painful, but there was a magic in the air when skin became fur and bones broke and rearranged themselves under stretched flesh; a terrible kind of beauty that came from blood and carnage. And when all that was finished, when bones snapped together and fur covered open wounds and the blood stopped--stood a mythical creature as old as mankind.

Luke exhaled. “Be careful,” he said.

The grey wolf flicked his large ears and whined. When the white wolf bit him on the rump, Grey yelped, reeled around, and started running in the direction Fox had gone. The white wolf barked once at Luke before following.

Luke leaned on the porch railing, nervous butterflies working like a hurricane in his stomach. He listened for the sounds of battle, for howling, for hissing vampires, or even the wind, but it was a dead silent night.

Luke stiffened. It was _way_ too quiet. He turned, looking down the length porch to the dark side of the house. The yellow porch lights cast the white, splintering siding of the house in a sick-colored glow. When Luke turned, the floorboards beneath his feet creaked.

_My life is a horror movie,_ Luke thought as he stepped toward the front door.

Fear prickled up the back of his neck and he swallowed hard. The air around him grew suddenly cold and when Luke turned around, looking to the forest for his pack, he saw a pair of gold eyes blinking back at him.

“Shit!” Luke hissed. He turned to run into the house, only to run into a hard body instead. “Oof!”

“Looks like they left me a little snack.”

Luke stumbled back, putting some distance between him and the man in front of him. By all accounts he looked pretty normal. He was an older man, Luke thought maybe his forties, with a beard and cowboy hat. He really didn’t look like a...vampire. Luke expected black leather and ripped jeans an eyeliner, not a country singer.

He wrinkled his nose. “You’re a vampire?”

The man scowled. “What, am I not scary enough for you?” 

Luke swallowed hard as the man tilted his head, his red eyes bleeding black and opening his mouth to reveal sharp fangs. Luke watched as all his teeth became sharp, not just his canines. As he showed off his teeth, his nails also curled into sharp claws. 

“How about now?” the man growled.

Luke shrugged. “I’ve seen bigger.”

“You little fuck--”

Luke turned to run, but the vampire was on his back in a second. Strong arms wrapped around him, lifting him off the ground and he was crushed against the vampire’s chest. With a gasp the air left his lungs and Luke found himself unable to catch another breath. As he kicked and squirmed as his lungs started to burn when teeth suddenly bit into his neck.

It wasn’t a little bite like what Luke had seen in the movies, not just a piercing of two fangs. No, this was a _bite,_ and hurt like crazy. Luke yelled hoarsely as his head started to spin.

The vampire sucked loudly on his neck, blood dribbling down his chin and wetting Luke’s torn t-shirt. The sound was sickening, and if he wasn’t feeling so cold and weak, and unable to breathe, Luke would have vomited.

Without warning the vampire dropped Luke who landed hard on the ground. He pressed his hand to his neck to stop the bleeding and looked up at the vampire who was suddenly backing up, snarling at something Luke couldn’t see.

“What the fuck is this?” the man growled.

Luke sat up, wobbling as he did, just as a heavy mist settled into the yard and crawled up onto the porch. It snaked around Luke and he shivered as ghost-like fingers brushed against his skin. The mist poured around and over him, and then collected in front of him, rising up and gathering into the shape of a man. The vampire across the porch hissed in confusion as the mist pulled back, revealing a vampire holding a sword.

_Jason…!?_ Luke stared at the vampire that now stood protectively in front of him. His black wavy hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he was wearing faded jeans and a black t-shirt that, on the back, was covered in fake blood splatters and read “I kill zombies in my spare time.” 

Jason tensed and moved before the other vampire could. He had crossed the area between them, threw the vampire to the ground, raised the sword and removed the vampire’s head in one easy stroke. Luke watched, eyes wide, as the head rolled across the porch and started to flake away. The body seemed to light up from the inside, like it was lit by burning coals, and started to burn. 

Jason was quick to kick the head into the yard and threw the body into the gravel driveway where it broke apart and continued to burn away. Black smoke filled the air and the stink of burning flesh polluted the air. 

Sword in hand, Jason turned to Luke, who had slumped back and was breathing heavy. He had one hand pressed against his neck which was slick with blood.

“I’m going to pick you up, Luke,” Jason said as he leaned over the boy. “I’m going to need you to invite me into your home.”

Luke’s eyes fluttered opened and he frowned. “Why?” 

“Because I need to get you inside before more vampires come and stop you from bleeding out.”

“Oh,” he said in a soft voice, “You can… c-come into the house, Jason.”

Jason carried Luke across the threshold and laid him down on the floor in the living room. He didn’t know where to find a first-aid kit, so he went to the bathroom and dug around until he had clean towels and a roll of gauze in hand. He knelt next to Luke, pulling his hand away from the large bite on his neck.

“Animals,” Jason said with a roll of his eyes. “Was he trying to drink your blood or eat you?”

Luke snorted. He turned his head, letting Jason clean the wound and then wrap it. “He was a cowboy.”

Jason smiled. “Yes, he was.”

Luke stared at him sleepily before his eyes fluttered closed. Jason left him where he lay and pulled a quilt from the back of the sofa, covering the boy. He took a moment to look around then. No one else was home, and he could only guess where they had gone. He was going to step back out onto the porch when he saw a wolf come running from the forest. He stood back in the shadows of the house and peered through the window. The wolf stopped at the burning pile of vampire in the yard, growled, and then darted back into the forest.

Wow, this forest really was creeping with werewolves, wasn’t it?

…

_“Arrooooo….”_

Collin and Fox pushed their legs harder, darting around trees and through shrubbery until they were up crossing the highway, and darting down through an open field. In the darkness the field looked like a sea of black waves, touched by bits of moonlight that was starting to shine down.

Collin breathed heavily as he picked up his speed, running out ahead of the two bulkier wolves. He had Raven’s scent, but he could also smell vampires. He growled, baring his teeth to the wind as the hair stood stuff on his back and shoulders. He held his tail high as he leaped a couple of fences and darted down a driveway to a small ranch-style farmhouse.

Raven was standing in front of the house, his ears perked and tail stiff. In front of him, standing in front of the house, were six vampires. They looked pretty damn ordinary in Collin’s opinion. They were male and female, black and white, aging from young adult to middle-age. Collin thought it was a bit funny, why had such a mixture of people come together to form a nest? Had they known each other before becoming vampires? Did one start and recruit the others? Were they actually family? Or friends?

_There really isn’t time for this,_ Collin told himself as he trotted up next to Raven. He bumped their shoulders.

_The others are right behind me,_ Collin told the other wolf. _What’s with the stand-off?_

One of the vampires, a tall blond women who looked more soccer mom than vampire, stepped down into the grass. Her red eyes gleamed in the darkness and she hissed, showing her fangs.

“Finally,” she said, “we get to meet our neighbors.”

Collin snorted, showing his teeth. _What the fuck?_

_It’s a trap,_ Raven said, stating the obvious.

_Is this the entire nest?_

_How would I know that?_

Collin flicked his ears worriedly. Behind him Fox and Grey finally caught up. Fox stepped out in front of them, snarling and snapping his teeth. The woman had the decency to back up in surprise.

The vampires all gathered in the grass. Fox tilted his head up. Hadn’t there been a family that lived here? He remembered and elderly couple. _Who lives here?_ He asked the pack.

_The Bjoins,_ Grey said, _their cows got out once, remember? Years ago._

_So where are they now?_ Fox asked.

_The land is rented out,_ Raven explained, _the couple is elderly now, they summer in Arizona._

So they weren’t around, Collin realized with a sigh of relief. _Wait, how do you know all this?_

_I spend a lot of time roaming around,_ Raven reminded him, _I hear a lot._

The blond woman, with her nest at her back, clapped her hands. “So you’re the assholes who burned down our nest?” she asked as he shook her head. “Couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?”

Fox really wished he could speak right now, but the only way to do that was to Change back into his human skin, and that was far too dangerous. He huffed, showing his teeth. 

“We found this place before we lost anyone to the sun, but it’s just not going to work out in the long run,” she continued, “so we thought, well, that your place would be perfect.”

_Fuck,_ Collin growled. It was a trap. And Luke was home alone.

Grey whipped around, his destination home, only to be blinded by the headlights of a truck. He yelped, shoving Raven to the side while Fox and Collin scrambled to get out of the way of the large truck. As the pack scattered the vampires launched their attack. Grey heard gunfire and the roar of the truck as it spun out in the grass, burned its tires and started to turn around again.

Fox snarled. He dodged a bullet and the truck, leaping around one of the vampires to tackle another. The vampire hissed and clawed at him, but his teeth and fangs were too short to reach through werewolf fur. Fox easily managed to get his jaws around the vampire’s throat.

It was easy to crush and cut through the vampire’s throat, but he was going to have to sit here and gnaw on the vampire if he wanted to get his head off. With a snort Fox leaned off the prone, bleeding vampire, and started to Change again. His body grew bulky and heavy, muscles bulged beneath his skin and body grew up into his bipedal werewolf shape. Now he truly was a monster.

And perfectly adapted to ripping off heads. With one foot on the vampire’s chest, he reached down, grabbed the man by his head, twisted his head back, and easily bit through the bones in in the neck.

The vampire’s body jerked and started to smoke and burn, sparks started to burst through it’s sizzling skin and soon it erupted in a bright fireball.

Fox stepped away from the burning vampire. _Huh, that was pretty easy._ He turned around, and saw that the rest of the pack was following suite, everyone shifting into werewolves. The vampires had seen what happened to their nest-mate, and were suddenly looking at each other in alarm.

Raven pulled his lips back to reveal his teeth. They were right to be afraid. But unlike Serene’s pack, there would be no bargaining here. He decided to as Jason suggested: have fun with it.

…

The wolf was back. Jason stood at the window, shrouded in shadows to keep his form hidden, and watched as the wolf paced the yard. It would stop to sniff at the heap of black ash that had been vampire, and then it would started to pace again. He tilted his head, frowning, wondering just what it was doing.

Luke, who had passed out shortly after being bandaged up, was suddenly awake and stumbling to his feet. “Damn,” he whined, “I remember now that one time I donated blood and like, passed out.”

Jason smiled at the young werewolf. “I’d say this was a bit more blood than a blood donation.”

“Do vampires use the Red Cross to get blood?”

Jason chuckled. “Uh, some do, I guess?”

“Grey thinks you sell blood out of that big refrigerator in your office,” he said as he reached for a sweater thrown over the back of Raven’s chair. He pulled it on and shivered. His neck was throbbing, and he was cold and a little dizzy, but he was determined to tough it out. 

Jason cocked his head. “I uh, do.”

“Damn, I owe him ten bucks.”

Jason chuckled, turning his attention to the wolf in the yard, before turning back to Luke, “Shouldn’t couples wager blow jobs and not money?”

Luke blushed hotly before he said, “Uh, well, he did want that. But I kind of need ten bucks.”

“You’re precious, aren’t you?”

He blushed a little more, but he noticed the vampire was watching something. “What are you looking at?”

“There’s a wolf out there.”

Luke frowned and stepped around the couch to the window. He peered out and stiffened. “Uh! That’s Willow!”

“Willow?” Jason asked.

“Raven’s older sister! She was here like, weeks ago. She called Raven the other day and left him a voicemail about him being in danger. Maybe she was worried about him?” Luke glanced at the vampire. “Is Raven in danger?”

“From these vampires? I doubt it,” Jason said easily. “If he literally bites someone’s head off, he’ll be fine.”

Luke pressed his toes into the carpet. “So… what kind of vampires are dangerous?”

Jason glanced at him, red eyes twinkling in the low lights. “Hopefully the kind you’ll never need to worry about.”

He shivered again. “Um, I should go out and talk to her--”

“No,” Jason said, stepping to block him, “I think there is still a vampire out there. And while your pack should be fine, you will not be. And I can’t risk going out there to help you if it attacks.”

Luke opened his mouth to ask ‘why not’ before realizing why. Jason didn’t want to outside with a werewolf that might attack him, and knowing now it was Raven’s sister, Luke knew that Jason wouldn’t fight back. So he nodded. “Okay.”

They watched from the window, hidden in shadows of the darkened house, and watched as Willow paced the yard until apparently having had enough. She ran after something, her paws digging up dirt, and disappeared into the treeline.

Jason shifted. “I should go before she comes back.”

“Don’t you want to see Raven?” Luke asked with a little frown.

Jason smiled. “I do. But not like this. You should be safe with your guardian out there. Just stay inside, got it?”

“Sure, sure.” He touched Jason’s arm. “Why… did you come here tonight, Jason?”

“I wanted to offer my help,” he said with a little shrug, “in your vampire problem. But I have a feeling your pack is going to be just fine.”

“How do you know that?”

“I can smell vampires burning,” he said. “They’ll be home soon.”

Luke nodded. He walked Jason to the door in the kitchen. They could hear a wolf snarling nearby, but it was the opposite way. Jason waved before the fog built around him, and then the vampire was gone--

Closing the locking the door Luke went back inside and to the window. Not needing to hide anymore he turned on the lights and watched from the window, waiting. There was a sudden burst of flames in the shadow of the trees and then the she-wolf was trotting back. There was blood all over her fur Luke didn’t think it was her’s.

Even though he told Jason he would stay inside, Luke still darted out to greet the she-wolf.

…

Raven ran through the trees toward home. After killing the vampires and burying the remains, the pack had combed the countryside to make sure they had found every last member of the nest. While doing this Raven had come across the remains of a dead vampire, surrounded by the heavy scent of a familiar she-wolf. He had started toward home at a dead run while howling a message to his pack.

He ran from trees and saw, sure enough, his sister sitting outside with Luke. When he saw her he stopped, paws sliding in the grass, and started to Change back.

His eyes caught another vampire carcass in the driveway. Had Willow killed two vampires? When he looked at Luke he saw the boy was pale and there was a bandage on his neck. He sighed. So Luke hadn’t stayed inside.

“Baby bird,” Willow called from where she was sitting.

Raven rolled his eyes at the nickname. “What are you doing here, Willow? You should be almost home by now.”

“You got my message, didn’t you?” she asked, standing.

“Yes, and as you can see, I’m safe.” He held out arms just to show her.

Willow exhaled. “I’m glad for that.” When she hugged him she huffed through her nose. “You stink.”

“Did you get them all?” Luke asked.

“We did!” crowed Grey as the rest of the pack from the trees, already in their human skin. “It was kind of fun.”

Collin immediately zeroed in on Luke’s neck. “What the fuck is that?”

“Um, well, you see--”

“You didn’t stay inside.”

“I… didn’t get a chance to go inside?” Luke muttered. “It’s fine, I’m fine, hey can I talk to you in private?”

“Uh, okay?” Collin said as Luke grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the house. Once they were inside Collin stiffened in surprise. “Jason is here?” he hissed.

“He was here!” Luke whispered back. “He came right after you left and I was attacked. He saved me. I think he was going to find you guys and help, but then Willow showed up in the yard and he stayed inside with me. He took off the second she went to hunt down the second vampire.”

“So the dead vampire in the driveway is Jason’s kill?”

“Yeah. Willow came in and I told her that--the smell was just the vampire that attacked me.”

“And how did you explain your escape and the dead vampire?”

“I just bullshitted my way through it,” he said with a shrug. “She believed me. I think she just wanted to see Raven because she k-keeps having bad dreams with him in them.”

Collin frowned. He touched the bandage on Luke’s neck. “Is this healing?”

“I think so, I haven’t--ouch!” he whined as Collin pulled the dirty bandage off. When he saw the extent of the bite Collin growled. Beheading those vampires had been fun, but now he wished he would have taken his time, prolonged the torture. “It’s not a normal vampire bite, huh?”

“Definitely not,” Collin answered. He’d see the vampires on the farm grow multiple sharpened teeth when threatened or when trying to peacock themselves up to look bigger. The teeth marks were healing, but they were puffy and red. “Let’s go clean this and rebandage.”

Outside the rest of the pack was gathered with Willow, talking about their encounter with the vampires and the slaughter it ended in. Raven shifted uncomfortably, sniffing the air. There were no other vampires around but… there was a scent that he recognized. While Fox and Grey were talking with Willow he slipped away toward the house.

The second he entered the house he froze. _Jason._ He followed the scent around the downstairs, and sure enough it lead straight to his bedroom. He peered inside, but the vampire wasn’t there. He had left something behind however.

Raven sat down heavily on his bed and picked up the piece of paper from his pillow. Jason’s script was very elegant, and simply read: _“I am not stalking you. I came tonight to talk and offer my help, and found Luke being attacked. I would like to see you again. Ball is in your court. Jason.”_

…

After staying the remainder of the weekend with the pack, Willow decided that home was calling her to return faster than her wolf legs could carry her, so she decided to take the train. Raven drove her to the train station. After getting her ticket the two sat in the lobby, talking quietly as humans moved noisily around them.

“Tell mother and father I love them,” Raven said. “I do miss them.”

“Everyone misses you,” Willow said. She pulled him close. “And please, please stay safe.”

Raven sighed. “These dreams, Willow… they could mean nothing.”

“Or they could mean everything.”

Finally he agreed. “I promise to be careful. And if anything should happen, I will call you.”

“Thanks, baby bird.”

Upon her departure Raven left the train station, returning to his truck. Sunlight flooded through the windows and warmed his skin. It was Monday morning, and he was already late for school, which he was in no hurry to get to. His thoughts were quiet as he inhaled and exhaled, his focus on the words from his sister and Jason’s letter.

Could Jason be the darkness that was looming over him?

Raven quickly dismissed that idea. Jason was dangerous, probably the most dangerous creature that Raven had ever met, but he doubted the vampire would harm _him._

He frowned. But since when had the vampire earned such blind trust? Raven started the truck, listening as it rattled to life. Maybe the vampire was dangerous, but in a different way. Raven shook his head, trying to clear it of thoughts that had never bothered him before.

Maybe it was best he steered clear of the vampire, and the witch. 

And with that thought, he drove to school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for that ending. I've been struggling with it for most of the week and thought it best just to... end it. I hope you enjoyed this book! 
> 
> The next two installments in this series will be short stories. One, a chapter that I cut from this book because it just didn't fit, and the second is a Halloween story. I do a weird thing with this series, where I have a lot of short stories that deal with really important issues. Sometimes I put these issues in little stories so that they can get the proper attention without being a part of a much larger book. Does that make sense? I don't know. 
> 
> But thank you all for reading. You're all so wonderful!

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr! http://softwolffeathers.tumblr.com/


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